Marine Dynamics and sister company Dyer Island Cruises have been awarded Blue Flag certification for the fourth consecutive year. Only ten boats in South Africa were awarded Blue Flag status and three of our vessels form part of this select group:
- Slashfin
- Dream Catcher
- Whale Whisperer
This will the 19th Blue Flag season for South Africa although Blue Flag started internationally in 1987. Boat-based tourism activities were only certified as of 2016 in South Africa. Our whale watching vessel, Whale Whisperer, was the first pilot vessel to receive Blue Flag status in South Africa prior to 2016.
Blue Flag is an international annual audited certification which focuses on the environmental management of our coastline and coastal waters to help tourism growth and development. Although it’s a voluntary eco-label, it’s become an international symbol of quality for beaches, boats and marinas that meet a standard of excellence in the areas of safety, amenities, cleanliness, environmental information and environmental management. The trusted eco-label provides our local beachgoers as well as domestic and international holidaymakers with the assurance of world-class beaches offering safe, clean and well-managed facilities.
“Blue Flag offers much more than status; it offers a management tool for acceptable living and operating conditions and guidelines to maintain these standards. It motivates long term healthy decision making’’, opening address by Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt, Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member of Spatial Planning and Environment, at the Blue Flag Launch.
The Blue Flag programme has been locally managed by WESSA since 2001 in partnership with participating coastal municipalities.