Swimming season with 589 protected beaches in the country, four more than in 2022.

According to a list of swimming spots published today in Diário da República, there are 589 lifeguarded beaches in Portugal during the swimming season, four more than in 2022.

Last year, according to the Ministry of Environment and Climate, a total of 654 bathing places were identified, 585 of which are qualified as bathing beaches, that is, with supervision.

This year, the Ministry of Environment and National Defense said in a statement today that the list of all bathing places (with or without supervision) is 658, also indicating an increase of four beaches compared to last year. Coastal, transitional and inland bathing areas on the mainland, the Azores and Madeira are at stake.

“This number may increase if among the bathing waters defined as such in accordance with the provisions of the ordinance, but which at that time are not classified as bathing beaches, bather assistance is now provided by the relevant municipality or authority,” the note says.

The government indicates that the Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency will carry out an analysis to assess whether the water remains suitable for bathing and indicates that the InfoPraia app, which provides information on beaches and water quality, is “active again”.

As stated in the regulation published today, which comes into force on Saturday, the swimming season lasts from May 1 to October 30, and municipalities can establish a specific season for each zone during this period.

In the Northern region, for example, almost all beaches on the coast begin their season on June 17th and end on September 10th. The exception is Pedras Ruivas beach in Caminha (Viana do Castelo area), where this period is shorter, from July 1 to August 31. As for the inland beaches, they open between June and July and close between August and September.

In the center, the season also has several start dates: from June to July, and the end of the season falls on the period from August to September.

In Tahoe and the Western Region, the season starts on various dates between May and July and ends in September or October. Cascais officially has the longest season, from May 1st to October 15th, but like other regions of the country, other municipalities have also announced May sightings, although the official season starts in June.

On different days of June, the swimming season opens in Alentejo (only in Praia do Lago, in Mura it starts on August 1), ends in September or October, depending on the area, and in the case of the Algarve, this period lasts, in most cases. , from June 1st to September 30th. One exception is the municipality of Albufeira, where the official season runs from 15 May to 15 October.

In the Azores, the season starts in June and ends in September on most beaches, but on the islet of Vila Franca (Sao Miguel) it lasts until October 13, while in Madeira it starts mostly from June to July and closes from September to October. In Porto Santo and Porto Moniz, some start dates are set for May.

The Ministries of Environment and National Defense remind that the National Maritime Administration will have 20 rescue stations, more than 30 boats and 29 motorcycles for maritime rescue, among other things.

Portugal has 432 Blue Flag beaches, marinas and boats this year, one more than in 2022, despite fewer river beaches on the list due to drought and fires, according to the European Blue Flag Association.