Puerto Vallarta Beach Safety Measure Increased Ahead Of Busy Winter Season

Last Updated 4 weeks ago

The high season has finally arrived in Puerto Vallarta, and thousands of tourists are now flocking to the stunning beaches for which this area is renowned.

But while the beaches in the municipality tend to be safe, exercising extra caution is always a plus when it comes to the ocean.

This is why the government of Puerto Vallarta has decided to patrol the main beaches in the municipality to keep tourists safe at all times during this busy season. 

What was announced

Talking about this new initiative, Gerardo Alonzo Castillón Andrade, The director of Civil Protection and Firefighters of the City Council, commented: “With personnel who are constantly trained and updated on issues of prevention and attention to emergency services, Puerto Vallarta is prepared to serve the population and its visitors during (…) the December holidays.”

Known as the Guadalupe Reyes operational program, these new safety measures were first put in place at the beginning of the Guadalupana festivities.

These celebrations take place every year during the first 12 days of December, and their main aim is to pay tribute to the Virgin of Guadalupe. During these festivities, thousands of devotees gather in the streets of Downtown Puerto Vallarta to thank the Virgin and express their devotion.

Several highly trained people have patrolled the main beaches in the municipality during this period to ensure the safety of all devotees.

However, it was recently decided that the beaches will continue to be patrolled during the winter festivities to keep the many tourists who chose Puerto Vallarta for their holidays safe.

Gerardo Alonzo Castillón Andrade specified that all the people employed in these new measures are highly trained to promptly provide held in case of risks connected to marine fauna or dangerous sea conditions.

He continued by saying that the most common problem concerns people who are unable to return to the shore due to fatigue.

Lifeguards employed in this initiative also possess the necessary equipment to ensure high levels of safety, such as four support boats used to rescue those at sea in need of help.

Are beaches in Puerto Vallarta safe?

Considering this recent initiative, people heading to Puerto Vallarta may soon wonder whether swimming in these areas is safe.

So, let’s start by addressing the elephant… or the shark in the room! Yes, sharks are present in Puerto Vallarta, but there is a ‘but’.

These types of encounters are incredibly rare, and despite the recent attack which took place near Puerto Vallarta, even when bathers do end up face to face with such massive fish, these animals tend to remain peaceful.

Ok, but what about crocodiles? Unlike sharks, crocodile attacks tend to be slightly more frequent. But again, these tend to be rare.

These animals usually live in two main areas of Puerto Vallarta, El Salado State Park and El Cora, and approach the sea only rarely.

It’s also important to remember that the crocodile species found in Puerto Vallarta is the American Crocodile, which tends to be way less aggressive than the Floridian Alligator. 

Regardless of their aggressiveness, when the presence of crocodiles in the water is high, tourists will always find a blue or black flag to signal the presence of dangerous animals in the bay.

Lastly, we need to talk about water conditions. On average, beaches in this area tend to be quite safe. However, at times, the presence of bad weather, such as hurricanes, may lead local authorities to close some of these down for safety reasons.

When this happens, tourists will find flags to signal such danger. This is why it’s incredibly important to always look out for those flags and make sure people know each color’s meaning.

While green flags mean that tourists are free to swim without worries, yellow flags indicate danger and are an invitation to be extremely cautious when entering the water.

Red flags indicate bad weather. Swimming in these situations should be avoided for safety reasons. White flags are a sign of the presence of dangerous marine fauna in the water, while black flags prohibit everyone from entering the ocean.