Here are all South Africa's Blue Flag beaches for the 2019/20 season

Blue Flag raising ceremony at the V&A Waterfront

Now in its 19th year, Blue Flag is an internationally-recognised eco-label with more than 47 countries participating in the initiative. The local programme has been managed by WESSA since 2001 in partnership with participating coastal municipalities. Blue Flag's strict criteria, set by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe, focuses on the environmental management of coastlines and coastal waters to support sustainable tourism growth and development.

"Blue Flag has truly stood the test of time and today we find ourselves an extremely relevant role-player in the rejuvenated efforts to stand up for our oceans," said Vincent Shacks, general manager for sustainable tourism at WESSA.

Speakers at this year's launch and awards presentation included City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, Marian Nieuwoudt, and founder of Breathe Conservation, Sarah Ferguson.

Education drive needed

Sarah Ferguson, long-distance open ocean swimmer and founder of Breathe Ocean

"My plea for today with the Blue Flag programme is that we need to combine it with an education drive about pollution... We really need to understand our responsibility in managing the absolute beauty that we have around us and that which the Blue Flag beaches offer us," said Nieuwoudt.

"There's a tendency for humans to function as if they are something separate from nature. We need to re-evaluate ourselves and our role within our ecosystem. [The environment] is there for you to benefit from, but it's not yours to exploit."

Extreme swimming for ocean conservation

Keynote speaker Sarah Ferguson is passionate about the ocean and, through long-distance open water swimming, works to raise awareness of single-use plastic pollution and its impact on marine life. She started her journey in ocean conservation in 2011, following her first ocean race in Hawaii. This year she became the first person ever to circumnavigate Easter Island, swimming 63km in 19 hours. Ferguson was awarded the Lewis Pugh cup from the Cape Long Distance Swimming association for this record-breaking feat.

"I also get the privilege of swimming with incredible marine life. I've swum with dolphins, whales, sharks, manta rays, a whole lot of creatures, and it's another big reason as to why I do what I do - it's to be a voice for them that don't have a voice," said Ferguson.

"They say that by 2050 there'll be more plastic in the ocean than fish in the sea, but I believe we can change that statistic, and I believe it starts with every single one of us in this room today.

"I don't just get up and swim a marathon, it takes years of training and preparation and a lot of team work to do what I do, but I do it one stroke at a time and when you look at what you're trying to achieve, it can be very overwhelming, but every time you're doing it, you're making a difference," she said.

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South Africa's 2019/20 Blue Flag beaches

For more info on Blue Flag South Africa, click here.