Puerto Vallarta Authorities Urge Tourists To Follow Beach Safety Flags After Recent Incidents

Last Updated 2 weeks ago

Despite the high season, Puerto Vallarta authorities recently had to place red flags on all beaches in the city due to dangerous water conditions.

Red flags prohibit people of all swimming levels from entering the water to avoid fatal accidents. Despite this, many tourists and locals decided to ignore the ban. 

Civil Protection personnel and lifeguards are now urging all people in Puerto Vallarta to follow beach safety flags, due to several tragic fatalities that took place in the last few days.

What happened?

Unfortunately, this Monday, a man in Puerto Vallarta lost his life at sea. According to local authorities, he was rescued by lifeguards patrolling the area, but it was too late. The man had already lost vital signs.

Unfortunately, this was not the only fatality that took place in Puerto Vallarta during the last few days.

On the same day, a woman lost her life on Los Muertos beach. Lifeguards in the area said she had decided to swim in the ocean despite the red flags and was dragged away by the strong waves. Unfortunately, experts were not able to save her in time, even in this case.

Local authorities are now urging all tourists to avoid entering the water at all costs and learn the meaning of each flag color to always know whether a certain beach is accessible or not. 

What each flag color means

Learning what each flag color means is fundamental for tourists heading to Puerto Vallarta. This is, in fact, one of the few ways to know whether a beach is safe for swimmers or if bathers should opt for another activity for the day.

Let’s start with the safe ones. Tourists seeing green or blue flags on the sand should relax, as both of them are positive signs.

Green flags are an indication that a given beach is safe for swimming and bathing, while blue flags are an international certification given to the best beaches in the world in terms of the cleanliness of their waters and the services provided.

Unlike these, yellow flags are a warning. When spotting these, people should remember that, even though entering the sea is technically allowed, the water conditions are relatively dangerous.

This means that while experienced swimmers should be fine, those who are not confident in their swimming skills should restrain themselves from accessing the water.

Red flags indicate a prohibition from entering the water. When seeing these, such as the ones placed by the Civil Protection personnel and lifeguards of Puerto Vallarta on most beaches in the last few days, people should avoid entering the water at all costs due to the high risk of drowning.

Black flags indicate the highest risk. Together with double red flags, they prohibit everyone from entering both the sea and the beach. This ban is due to the strong waves, reaching the shore at high speed.

Last but not least, white and purple flags indicate the presence of dangerous animals in the water.

Is Puerto Vallarta’s Safe?

Considering the recent tragic losses in Puerto Vallarta, people heading here soon for the high season may now be wondering whether this area is safe.

Luckily, despite the recent fatalities, this city remains one of the safest in Mexico. Not by chance, report after report keeps confirming that Puerto Vallarta is one of the best places in the country in terms of safety due to its low levels of criminality.

When it comes to the sea conditions, Puerto Vallarta’s beaches are regularly patrolled by lifeguards to make sure bathers are safe at all times.

On top of this, experts are constantly monitoring the water conditions to place flags whenever needed.

Lastly, it’s important to consider dangerous animals that may be found from time to time in Puerto Vallarta’s waters. These include jellyfish, sharks, and crocodiles.

In particular, when it comes to sharks and crocodiles, tourists should keep in mind that attacks are extremely rare. Despite this, visitors are always advised to maintain a safe distance and exit the water immediately when spotting one of these specimens.