FAQ

1. What can be done in the case of cetaceans or turtles stranding or beaching ?

1. Please call 112 and give detailed information about:
• The animal kind (dolphin, turtle, and so on)
• The size of the animal
• Its phisical state (alive, dead, active, etc.)
• The location and how to access the beach.
• In case you remain close to the beached animal, you might consider leaving your phone number for emergency services.

2 If the animal in question is dead, you must not touch it, and you must keep away from it. Emergency services might ask you to take a photo of the animal and send them the location data through Whats App.

3 If the animal is alive, you should not touch it unless you were told so by the emergency services.

4  If the animal is on the shore, and it can be hurt by waves, you can try to move it away from the water so it can be safe on the shore, following the advice given by the emergency services.

5 Try to keep calm and silent around the animal. In the case of mistreatment towards it, the police or the Civil Guard (Spanish Guardia Civil) should be informed about it.

2. What should you do if you get stung by jellyfish?

1. Jellyfish stings should be taken really seriously, and if it happens to you, you should go immediately to the lifeguards or first-aid post in order to be treated.

2. If there are plenty of jellyfish on the shore, there is to take the precaution of avoiding numerous stings, so, if you have already been stung and decide to go for a swim again, be extremely careful.

In case there is no near first-aid post:

3. Rinse the wound with cold salty water. Do not use freshwater, as the wound could get worse.

4. Put ice into a plastic bag or something similar, so the water could not go out of it, and place it on the wound.

5. Do not rub the wound with send, towels, tissues or something similar.

6. Do not apply home remedy, such as vinegar, mud or similar.

In any case, if in a period of time from 24 to 36 hours there is no improvement, go to a health centre.

In case of being stung or hurt by any other animal, go immediately to a lifeguard or first-aid post.

3. What to do with litter

1. Do mind that you are responsible for everything you take to the beach, included rubbish you produce, such as different food or drink containers (cans, bottles, paper or plastic bags), or organic waste.

2. You should always take a bag for litter (if possible with a closure, or that can be tied up) with you.

3. Please, put all your litter in a bag immediately because, if you do not do so, wind can take it away or into the sea.

4. It is very important to prevent cigarettes stubs from getting into the sand. This is rather unpleasant, besides being very polluting as they take long time to decompose. 

5. Before you go, you should make sure you collected all the rubbish from the place where you spent time, and take it with you.

6 .We would also like to ask you to help with collecting the rest of the litter from the beach, especially plastic, even though it was not you who threw it away. We cannot help having irresponsible users, but we can neither let the rubbish get into the see.

7. Close the bag well and throw it into a rubbish bin on the beach.

8. It there are no bins, please take the litter with you and throw it into the first rubbish bin you see away from the beach.

9. There are more and more beaches that offer the possibility of recycling.  If you visit one of them, we recommend using several bags in order to separate litter according to their type.

4. What do beach warning flags mean?

1. Green flag: It is safe to go swimming. Nevertheless, do not be careless.

2. Yellow flag: Be careful. Safety conditions might be lower due to waves, jellyfish (in this case there will be the flag that warns about them), fog, and so on. You need to get informed about the cause of the yellow flag and consider if it is safe or not for you to go into the sea. If you hesitate, avoid swimming.

3. Red flag: FORBIDDEN GOING INTO THE SEA. Lifeguards cannot guarantee your safety or rescue swimmers due to dangerous conditions. This is not a recommendation, but a prohibition.

4. Jellyfish flag: It is shown together with the yellow or red flag. It indicates the presence of jellyfish at the beach. If it hangs with a yellow flag, it means you need to be very careful but it is possible to go for a swim. If there is also a red flag, there are plenty of jellyfish so it is extremely difficult to go for a swim without being stung by them.

5. Blue flag: This flag designates beaches and ports that meet quality standards, fulfil a series of environmental conditions and have facilities that are responsible for providing information and environmental education, water quality standards, environmental management, safety and services.