Los Cabos has 18 Blue Flag beaches. Blue Flag is a designation created by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that certifies the cleanliness and environmental sustainability of beaches around the world.
The Blue Flag program started in France in 1985, with the goal of certifying beaches as environmentally friendly, clean and safe. The program now certifies 4,820 beaches, marinas, and boats in 49 countries, and has grown into a program for environmental and sustainable development efforts, following the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2015-2030 developed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in 2015.
Blue Flag is a type of eco certification. Certification is voluntary, and in order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained. Criteria include water quality, security, and sustainability efforts.
Water Quality and Cleanliness
Water quality is one of the most important factors that goes into receiving a Blue Flag certification. Blue Flag beaches must have excellent bathing water quality. Water samples are taken at least every 31 days from the swimming area, as well as from water sources that feed into the swimming area. The water is tested for Escherichia coli (e-coli) and intestinal enterococci (streptococci) bacteria. The water must be free from industrial, waste-water or sewage-related discharges. The water must also be visibly free of garbage, oil, debris and pollution. Dirty water can cause a beach to lose its Blue Flag.
Information about bathing water quality must be displayed at the beach, and a supply of drinking water must also be available at the beach. In addition, the Blue Flag program requires marine and freshwater sensitive habitats (such as coral reefs or seagrass beds) in the vicinity of the beach to be monitored.
The beach must be clean and free of garbage and debris. There must be restrooms at the beach, in an adequate number to serve the amount of people who visit the beach, and the restroom facilities must be kept clean.
Environmental Education and Safety
Environmental education and safety are pillars of the Blue Flag program. The goal is to connect the public with their surroundings, and encourage people to learn more about their environment.
Environmental education activities are offered and promoted at all Blue Flag beaches. It’s also a requirement to have a permanent display at the beach that contains information about biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental phenomena at that location. So look for the educational displays at each beach and see what you can learn!
Safety measures must be implemented at Blue Flag beaches, including lifeguards, or at minimum public rescue equipment for low hazard and low use beaches. First aid equipment must be available at the beach. You can learn more about all of the Blue Flag criteria at https://www.blueflag.global
18 Blue Flag beaches in Los Cabos
El Corsario Beach
El Corsario is the westernmost Blue Flag beach in Los Cabos. It’s a swimmable beach located just southeast of the marina. This beach earned its Blue Flag in 2017. Entrance is free to the public. It is accessible for disabled people, and there are lifeguards on the beach.
Medano Beaches
Médano Beach is the most popular beach in Los Cabos. It’s a long stretch of sand and resort hotels. People sit at the beach clubs or on towels under umbrellas, play beach volleyball, and partake in watersports activities like paddle boarding, kayaking, jet skiing, and flyboarding. Médano Beach has 13 smaller sections of beach that are each designated Blue Flag beaches.
Most of these beaches received their Blue Flags in 2018. All of these beaches have lifeguards on duty. Most of them are accessible for disabled people. Entrance to all of these beaches is free to the public. To learn more about each beach, visit https://www.blueflag.global and click on the map for each location.
Tourist Corridor
Viudas Beach, Santa Maria Beach, Palmilla Beach, and Acapulquito Beach are located in the tourist corridor that connects Cabo San Lucas with San Jose del Cabo. Acapulquito is the closest Blue Flag beach to San Jose del Cabo.
How many Los Cabos Blue Flag beaches have you visited? You can find the full Blue Flag beach list at https://www.blueflag.global
