The days are longer, the winter woollies are packed away at the back of the cupboard and sunscreen, swimwear and flip flops are filling shops' shelves. It can only mean one thing: It is summer time!

Out of the 45 Blue Flag Beaches in South Africa (and 5 Blue Flag Marinas and 8 sustainable Blue Flag tourism boats), Nelson Mandela Bay is extremely proud to be home to 3 Blue Flag Beaches; King’s Beach, Hobie Beach and Humewood Beach.

 

Receiving the eco-label of the international Blue Flag status is a big honour since it means that the respective beaches are excelling in safety, cleanliness, provision of amenities and environmental information and management. The strict criteria of the programme are set by the international coordinators of the Blue Flag campaign in Europe, the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) and as if South Africa wasn’t awesome enough it was also the first country outside Europe to be granted Blue Flag accreditation for its beaches. And to wow you even a bit more, Humewood beach has won 16 consecutive awards.   

Here are a few ideas of things you can do on/at/in/around the 3 blue flag beaches of Nelson Mandela Bay.

10 Things to do at Nelson Mandela Bay's Blue Flag Beaches

Have a Picnic

Pack in all your favourites in a basket, get your friends and family together and have a picnic. Remember to pick up all your trash after your picnic and throw it away in a dedicated trash can or dispose it at home.
 

Work on Your Tan

Winter was a long one; put on your sunscreen and bronze away. Keep in mind that you should always stay hydrated; put on a hat and sunglasses and don’t overexpose your sun to the skin.

Take a Dip

Cool off and immerse yourself in the world’s biggest pool. Always remember to adhere to the safety regulations while swimming.
 

Join a Beach Clean Up

Join an organised beach clean-up or start your visit to the beach by dedicating 10 minutes of your time to the environment. We all have a responsibility to preserve our coastal environment.

Build Sandcastles

Get creative with a bucket, a spade and some sand. Building sandcastles is a classic beach time activity for kids and adults alike.

Watersports

Surf, dive, kayak, sail, windsurf and swim in the Bay’s waters. And if you don’t know how to do it yet why not test the waters with a knowledgeable instructor that will be with you every step of the way.
 

Go for a hike

Walk along the promenade, stroll on the beach or go a bit further on the path of the Humpback Dolphin Trail; you might even be lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins playing in the water.

Catch a sunset or a sunrise

If you want to catch a sunrise in summer you will most likely need to head out of the door by 05:00 in the morning (or even earlier), but it will be totally worth it. Keep in mind that while the sun rises in the east over your face at our Blue Flag beaches it will set behind you in the west, but there is always a chance that the clouds in the east will play along and give you a spectacular sunset along the Blue Flag coast.
 

Read a book

Stock up on good reading material and make time for all the books and magazines that you didn’t get time for during the year.

Exercise

Let the beach be your gym; you can go for a swim, a run or even take your yoga mat to the sandy shores of Nelson Mandela Bay’s Blue Flag beaches.
 

 

Written by Anje Rautenbach, travel blogger at Going Somewhere Slowly. Follow her journeys around South Africa on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.