HUGE seas and strong rips have forced the closure of dozens of beaches across Sydney, the Central Coast and the Illawarra this morning.

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High seas close beaches across NSW

TripShock.com offers spectacular hotel & activity rates in Destin/Santa Rosa Beach during the 2012 Beaches to Woodlands Tour.

Santa Rosa Beach, FL (PRWEB) October 05, 2012

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Visit http://www.TripShock.com for the lowest hotel rates and discounted outdoor activities/attractions in Destin, Santa Rosa County, Panama City Beach and many more.

About TripShock.com

TripShock! is the one and only online travel agency in the Northern Gulf Coast that enables travelers to book tours and activities directly. TripShock! offers trusted reviews from real travelers, photos, videos and other planning tools to help create the perfect Gulf Coast vacation. TripShock! attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually and partners with over 100 activity and lodging providers from Florida to Louisiana

Greg Fisher TripShock.com 800-450-7139 Email Information

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9th Annual Beaches to Woodlands Tour in Santa Rosa County, Fl

LONG BEACH Almost a week after a sewage spill forced beach closures on eastside shorelines, many beaches were still closed Friday.

Health officials said the sites could reopen as early as Saturday, after water tests Thursday were clear of contamination.

An estimated 1,000 gallons of sewage contaminated Alamitos Bay following a spill from a private sewer system that began Sept. 29.

The spill initially resulted in the closure Sunday of Mother's Beach and Marine Stadium. However, additional testing resulted in other beach closures in Alamitos Bay and parts of Seal Beach later in the week.

Ocean-facing beaches in Long Beach, as well as the Colorado Lagoon swimming area, remained open to public swimming.

The spill originated with a homeowners association complex at Bixby Terrace Drive area near Seventh Street and the Cerritos Channel, according to Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services environmental health specialist Nelson Kerr.

He said health workers have been testing the water daily, and they'll keep the recreational water areas closed until two consecutive test results show no contamination.

Earlier in the week, the Health Department was still finding "hot spots" of bacteria contamination, Kerr said. By Friday, the water quality was improving.

"The test results looked good," Kerr said about Thursday's samples.

Officials continued to keep close tabs on the situation Friday, taking samples from the

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Alamitos Bay beaches could reopen Saturday, one week after sewage spill

The Police Minister Liza Harvey has promised a crackdown on alcohol at Perth beaches following a brawl last weekend involving dozens of people.

Police were called to Scarborough Beach when violence erupted.

The local council also reported that bottles and other rubbish was left strewn around the area.

The Minister says she has met with staff from the City of Stirling and Surf Life Saving WA to work out a plan to police the area.

Mrs Harvey would not be drawn on the details but says the State Government will act on when it comes to people drinking on Perth beaches.

"What I can tell you though is that the plan includes a very serious crackdown on people taking alcohol to the beaches," she said.

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Alcohol consumption on beaches to be targeted

Santa Monica

Summer water quality improves at county beaches

Water quality at Los Angeles County beaches continued to show improvement in the summer months and remained high at beaches statewide, according to a recently released report.

In Santa Monica-based environmental non-profit Heal the Bays annual End of Summer Beach Report Card, 96 percent of sampled sites received A or B grades, a four percent improvement from last year. Heal the Bay assigned an A-to-F letter grade to 446 beaches along the California coast from Humboldt through San Diego counties. The better the grade a location received, the lower the risk of illness to beach users.

Heal the Bay officials touted the 2012 results as one of the cleanest summers for beach water quality ever recorded in the state.

According to the report, Los Angeles County beach water quality rose by two percent, with 77 sites earning A or B grades. But some county sites received poor water quality grades, including Avalon on Catalina Island, the Malibu Pier and inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.

Overall, Santa Monica Bay beaches continued to improve, with 65 of 69 monitoring locations receiving A or B grades, compared with 89 percent last year. The Santa Monica Pier, which showed low water quality in years past, received an A grade for the third year in a row.

While beaches across the state continue to make strides in water quality, Heal the Bay officials believe two recent proposals from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may have a devastating effect on beach water quality programs in 2013. The agency is proposing new acceptable bacteria levels in recreational waters that in some ways are less protective than the 25-year-old criteria they would replace, Heal the Bay officials believe.

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Summer water quality improves at county beaches

Panaji, Oct 4 (IANS) Goa's beaches, which attract thousands of tourists annually, will no longer be cleaned manually. Large cleaning machines are being acquired by the state government to clear the beaches, Tourism Minister Dileep Parulekar told IANS Thursday.

The beaches, once considered pristine, are now lined with litter. The Goa tourism ministry is all set to acquire massive cleaning machines, which could be set to work on the beaches by December, the minister said.

Parulekar said that a public demonstration of the cleaning process would be held so that the fears of environmentalists are allayed.

Environmentalists had earlier expressed fears that if the beaches are not cleaned manually but with machines, the animal life in the sand could be harmed.

"Environmentalists can attend the demonstration, so that they can see that no animal life which lives in the sand on the beaches is disturbed. The machines do not interfere even with sand patterns," Parulekar said.

Officials of the state tourism department said that several beaches in the country, including the country's biggest, Chennai's Marina beach, used machines, not manual workers, for cleaning.

"By December, when the largest number of tourists arrive, we should be in a position to clean beaches with the machines," Parulekar said.

"Right now, we engage contract workers for cleaning the beaches. But with machines, the efficiency of the cleaning process will be heightened. Even the smallest piece of garbage, like cigarette butts, can be sucked out by these machines. We have shortlisted some machines already," an official said.

The most popular beach-belt in Goa, which stretches from Baga, 20 km north of here, to Sinquerim, is likely to be the first where tehse machines would be tested. In South Goa district, the Benaulim to Utorda stretch will be the first to deploy the machines.

Goa's beaches are home to hordes of tiny sand crabs, which live in the porous sand pockets.

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Goa plans mechanised cleaning of beaches

Contractors working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and New York State will dredge about 300,000 tons of sand from Shinnecock Inlet beginning next month and pump it onto beaches west of the inlet that were severely eroded during the passing of Hurricane Irene last year.

The project officially has a dual purpose: bolstering the beaches decimated by Irenes waves and clearing the navigation channel leading from the Atlantic Ocean into Shinnecock Bay, home to the states second-largest commercial fishing port.

The project will be funded jointly by the Army Corps and the state and conducted by a private contractor hired by the Army Corps, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co.

U.S. Representative Tim Bishop announced this week that the project bids for the federal portions had come in well under budget. The dredging is officially slated to begin on or about November 1 and will be completed by mid-January 2013, according to Mr. Bishops office.

In June, the Army Corps appropriated some $5.1 million for the project, but the accepted bid for the work by Great Lakes was just under $3.9 million. The additional money will be held in reserve in case of any unexpected contingencies and would then be reassigned to other Army Corps emergency projects. Mr. Bishop said he will push for the money to be redirected to other Long Island projects.

I fought for a strong federal response to mitigating the damage from Tropical Storm Irene, and this vital project will protect the more than 500 jobs that rely on the small businesses and marine infrastructure located west of Shinnecock Inlet and will also ensure continued safe access to New Yorks second-busiest fishing port, the congressman said this week. We should all applaud the fact that the bid for the project was lower than expected and that taxpayers can expect extra bang for their buck with the federal-state partnership on this work.

The federal portion of the project will dredge 128,000 cubic yards of sand13,000 dump truck loadsfrom the main fairway of the inlet that will be pumped onto the quarter-mile stretch of badly eroded beach and dunes immediately to the west of the inlet.

The state portion of the project will fund the removal of another 115,000 cubic yards of sand from the navigation channel leading to and from the inlet. That sand will also be deposited along the beach near the inlet.

In late 2009 and early 2010, the Army Corps dredged more than 500,000 tons of sand out of the inlet and channel and pumped it onto beaches in western Hampton Bays and East Quogue. That project was funded with money from the federal stimulus package known as the American Recovery and Investment Act.

The beaches west of the inlet have suffered from chronic erosion for decades, the ill effects of the stone jetties that were used to stabilize the inlet in the 1950s. The jetties interrupt the sand that flows naturally from east to west along the shoreline, redirecting it offshorealso forming a long offshore sandbar that creates recurring hazardous navigation problems for boats entering and leaving the inlet.

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Beaches At Shinnecock Will Be Rebuilt With Sand From Inlet

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The city of Long Beach, pictured from just outside the breakwater, closed all beaches in Alamitos Bay after a Sunday sewage spill.

An expanded beach closure in the Long Beach's Alamitos Bay that remained in effect Wednesday following a weekend sewage spill will likely keep the beaches shut down for at least two more days.

A private sump pumpthat serves a residentialcommunity nearthe Cerritos Channel failed on Sunday, spilling sewage that flowed in Alamitos Bay,city public health officials said.

Initially, the spillonlyprompted the closure of Mother's Beach. But on Tuesday, Long Beach health officials said bacteriological test results had induced the cityto close all other recreational beaches in Alamitos Bay.

"Out of an abundance of caution, the beaches will remain closed to water contact until testing confirms that the results are within state standards," Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Mitchell Kushner said in a press releaseTuesday.

Water-quality test results on Wednesday morning showed continued "moderate to heavy" exceedance of state standards for bacterial limits, according to Nelson Kerr, head of the environmental health bureau in the city's health department.

Kerr said the city wants to see two clean samples in a row at each of its four sampling locations in the bay. Samples are taken once per day and results are available the next day, so the earliest the beaches could reopen would be Friday.

It's uncertain how much sewage has entered the bay, Kerr said.

Ocean-facing beaches in Long Beach have remained open to the public.

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Beaches Still Closed After Sewage Spill

Published: Monday, October 1, 2012 at 11:46 p.m. Last Modified: Monday, October 1, 2012 at 11:46 p.m.

SARASOTA COUNTY - In an effort to meet the regional beach management and renourishment needs of the barrier islands, government officials are planning to work together to relocate the sand from New Pass Inlet to eroded beaches on Lido beach and Longboat Key.

Coordinating regional beach needs could result in millions of dollars saved for the county, those officials said.

The plan was discussed at a joint meeting Monday between Sarasota County commissioners and Town of Longboat Key commissioners.

While precise numbers were not disclosed, commissioners agreed that the sand share would be cost efficient for every local government involved.

"There are a lot of opportunities for great savings if we coordinate regional efforts," Sarasota County coastal resource manager Laird Wreford said. "We can satisfy the sand need at Lido beach as well as provide the management needed at the New Pass Inlet."

By combining efforts the local governments could save at least $4 million, he said.

New Pass is a channel that is routinely dredged by the Army Corps, and officials plan to distribute the sand from the next dredge to area beaches.

Lido beach, which is currently under a federally authorized beach nourishment project, has been searching for sand 15 miles offshore, which has resulted in extra expenses. Longboat Key Mayor Jim Brown said that sand is imported from the Tampa area for their needs.

Rather than look at the New Pass Inlet management project and beach nourishment project separately, commissioners said it would be better to unite the projects.

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Eroded beaches to share dredged New Pass sand

Treacherous surf conditions have seen hundreds of people rescued at Perth beaches as temperatures climbed into the mid 30s and thousands flocked to the sea.

Surf lifesavers were kept busy throughout with more than 200 individual rescues at Scarborough Beach alone.

In one situation, lifesavers had to launch a mass rescue as about 10 people got caught in a rip at Scarborough.

Scarborough surf life saving captain Jody Ballard says that despite the high number of rescues there have been no serious injuries.

"Just getting out to people as quick as we can and getting them back to shore safely," he said.

"No major injuries, no spinals, no near-drownings, so really a great day on the beach to start the summer with, albeit with a lot of rescues."

Surf Lifesaving says rescue jet skis were busy pulling people from the water as they got caught up and down the coast.

In an out-of-water incident, police were called after a brawl at Scarborough Beach involving a large number of people.

It is understood dozens of people started fighting on a grassy area above the beach.

Meanwhile, Surf Life Saving WA had to ground its shark patrol helicopter on the first day of its season due to mechanical issues.

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More than 200 rescued from rips at Perth beach

If you've got it, you may as well flaunt it.

Snohomish County, located directly north of Seattle, has outstanding hiking opportunities, from the beaches of Puget Sound to the crest of the Cascades.

The county tourism office in Everett, the county seat, wants visitors to know about its hiking gems. The Snohomish County Tourism Bureau has recently updated and published a 52-page color booklet called "Hiking in Snohomish County.''

The free guide is ideal for visitors because, for one, it's free, and also because it really does cover the best of the county. The author is Craig Romano, one of Washington's top hiking guidebook authors.

The guide can be downloaded from the county visitor website, ordered by phone (425-348-5802 ext. 10) or ordered from the website snohomish.org.

The guide describes 30 hikes in detail and includes driving directions, topographical maps and a handy chart that lists each hikes round trip distance, easy-to-difficult rating, elevation gain, best season to hike it and closest community. Also included are local resources and a list of accommodations for those who want to plan an overnight getaway around hiking.

This the third edition of "Hiking in Snohomish County," authored by Romano for the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau. Romano is an award-winning author of nine guidebooks on hiking in Washington state. He is a content provider for hikeoftheweek.com and trails editor for Outdoors NW magazine.

In this latest brochure, Romano increased the number of featured hikes from 25 to 30 and replaced some hikes in previous editions to spotlight new ones. The 30 hikes capture the full scope of hiking destinations within Snohomish County: beaches, scenic rivers, old-growth forests, alpine lakes, wildflower meadows, mountain tops, wildlife preserves, historic sites and impressive waterfalls.

For more information on Romano and his guidebooks, visit craigromano.com.

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Snohomish County (Everett area) publishes free hiking guide of beaches to mountains

Crowds flock to the beach to escape the heat. Picture: Steve Ferrier/The West Australian

UPDATE Scraborough Beach surf life savers have been kept busy today rescuing about 130 beachgoers.

Wesfarmers Emergency Response Team had two jetskis patrolling Perth's beaches and spent about 4 hours at Scaborough Beach today where they rescued about 100 people.

At about 5.20pm today Surf Life Saving tweeted that police had been informed of a brawl at Scarborough Beach.

An estimated 20,000 flocked to beaches along Perths metropolitan coast as Swanbourne recorded 35.2C at 1.43pm.

Water conditions have been decribed as treacherous and there are a number of rips at beaches.

Club captain at Scarborough Surf Life Saving Club, Jody Ballard, reminded beachgoers not to drink and swim. He warned people that drinking and swimming can result in swimming and drowning.

The Surf Life Saving WA Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter was grounded this morning because of a mechanical fault.

SLSWA hired another helicopter to patrol metropolitan beaches this afternoon as engineers worked on the grounded chopper.

The helicopter has been patrolling over the weekend and is expected to do patrols between Yanchep and Mandurah and out to Rottnest daily, for up to four hours between 6.30am and 5pm.

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Chopper found as crowd flocks to beaches

Treacherous surf conditions have seen hundreds of people rescued at Perth beaches as temperatures climbed into the mid 30s and thousands flocked to the sea.

Surf lifesavers were kept busy throughout with more than 200 individual rescues at Scarborough Beach alone.

In one situation, lifesavers had to launch a mass rescue as about 10 people got caught in a rip at Scarborough.

Scarborough surf life saving captain Jody Ballard says that despite the high number of rescues there have been no serious injuries.

"Just getting out to people as quick as we can and getting them back to shore safely," he said.

"No major injuries, no spinals, no near-drownings, so really a great day on the beach to start the summer with, albeit with a lot of rescues."

Surf Lifesaving says rescue jet skis were busy pulling people from the water as they got caught up and down the coast.

In an out-of-water incident, police were called after a brawl at Scarborough Beach involving a large number of people.

It is understood dozens of people started fighting on a grassy area above the beach.

Meanwhile, Surf Life Saving WA had to ground its shark patrol helicopter on the first day of its season due to mechanical issues.

Excerpt from:

More than 200 rescued from rips at Perth beaches

Crowds flock to the beach to escape the heat. Picture: Steve Ferrier/The West Australian

UPDATE Scraborough Beach surf life savers have been kept busy today rescuing about 130 beachgoers.

Wesfarmers Emergency Response Team had two jetskis patrolling Perth's beaches and spent about 4 hours at Scaborough Beach today where they rescued about 100 people.

At about 5.20pm today Surf Life Saving tweeted that police had been informed of a brawl at Scarborough Beach.

An estimated 20,000 flocked to beaches along Perths metropolitan coast as Swanbourne recorded 35.2C at 1.43pm.

Water conditions have been decribed as treacherous and there are a number of rips at beaches.

Club captain at Scarborough Surf Life Saving Club, Jody Ballard, reminded beachgoers not to drink and swim. He warned people that drinking and swimming can result in swimming and drowning.

The Surf Life Saving WA Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter was grounded this morning because of a mechanical fault.

SLSWA hired another helicopter to patrol metropolitan beaches this afternoon as engineers worked on the grounded chopper.

The helicopter has been patrolling over the weekend and is expected to do patrols between Yanchep and Mandurah and out to Rottnest daily, for up to four hours between 6.30am and 5pm.

Continue reading here:

Chopper grounded as crowd flocks to beaches

29 September 2012 Last updated at 03:38 ET

Daily lifeguard cover at beaches in south west England is finishing for the season this weekend.

The RNLI urged people to take extra care on beaches in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Jersey after weekday cover ends on Sunday.

Patrols will still be maintained at weekends until 4 November and throughout the half term week on the region's 12 busiest beaches.

A spokesman urged swimmers be aware of the dangers of the sea and the tides.

Earlier this month a woman drowned at Northcott Mouth beach, near Bude, one day after the RNLI stopped its summer "peak season" lifeguard cover for rural beaches.

Following the death, the RNLI decided to extend its October weekend and half term coverage to include Bude's Summerleaze beach, a popular spot for surfers.

The other 11 beaches are: Praa Sands; Gwithian; Porthmeor; Porthtowan; Perranporth; Polzeath and Widemouth in Cornwall and Bantham, Croyde and Woolacombe in Devon.

Fistral beach near Newquay in Cornwall will continue to have full time cover during October, and will also be patrolled during weekends in November.

Steve Instance, RNLI lifeguard inspector, said: "Thanks to additional funding from local authorities and private beach owners, the charity is again able to extend the lifeguard season into October on a selection of beaches.

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Beach lifeguards cover finishes

SANTA CRUZ -- Most of the county's beaches maintained good water quality throughout the summer, but problem beaches, Cowell and Capitola, had unsafe levels of bacterial counts, according to the latest Beach Report Card compiled by nonprofit Heal the Bay.

The annual End of Summer report card gives letter grades to more than 400 beaches along California's coast. Collectively, California beach water quality improved, but, the report notes, federal funding for beach and recreational water quality monitoring may be at risk. The Environmental Protection Agency's 2013 budget proposes eliminating all funding Beach Act grants, which totaled $10 million in 2012. Many state and county programs depend on federal funding to maintain water quality monitoring.

Water quality grades in Santa Cruz remained the same as the previous year. "They definitely have some hot spots of bad water quality, but overall, the beaches are typically very clean," said Amanda Griesbach, beach water quality scientist of Heal the Bay. Capitola Beach earned a "C" and Cowell Beach, just west of the Municipal Wharf, earned an "F."

Cowell Beach has had chronic water quality issues and is in the No. 2 spot on Heal The Bay's Beach Bummer list of Top 10 worst California beaches. It's been at the No. 1 or No. 2 spot since it made the Beach Bummer list in 2009, making it one of the unhealthiest beaches in California.

Invisible bacterial counts don't make as big an impression

She does keep an eye on water quality, having contracted streptococcal skin infections from the water multiple times. "I don't go in if the counts are high," she said.

Kimberly Gomez, who is a stand-up-paddle-board racer, paddles three or four times a week, often on the waters of Cowell Beach. "It bums me out to know about the water quality. Cowell a great beach, especially for families with kids. It's the locals beach," she said. She did note that since the city began raking the kelp on the beach, she has noticed improved water quality. Gomez, whose daughter participates in Santa Cruz City's Junior Lifeguards, said "My daughter could go in the water many more days this year for Junior Guard than last year."

Beach water quality, though, is variable and can change dramatically following rainfall or sewage spills. Heal the Bay's Griesbach warned that "people should stay out of the water for 72 hours after a rainfall. It's important to check water quality every time you go to the beach." An interactive map is available on Heal the Bay's website. It is updated Fridays, in time for weekend beach goers.

Santa Cruz County Environmental Health Services has tracked the high bacterial count for the past four years, but the cause is still not well understood. The kelp that washes up on the beach is a likely culprit, according to Griesbach. The kelp harbors bacteria as it decays on the beach. Researchers at Stanford working with the city of Santa Cruz have been studying the problem. Recently, they have been raking up and removing the rotting kelp to see if that improves water quality.

"They have looked at sediment and water samples, seeing if storm drains, septic leaks or rotting kelp are the source. But there are no conclusive results so far," said Griesbach. However, she added, study results should be available later this year.

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Poor water quality grades continue at Cowell, Capitola beaches

NEWS RELEASE 28 September 2012

City beaches reveal our careless habits

In just one hour, over 500 volunteers from Porirua, Hutt Valley and Wellington worked on International Coastal Clean-up Day to collect more than 100,000 pieces of waste from the region's coastlines.

The rubbish - which weighed more than 5 tonnes - was collected from cleanups around Wellington and Porirua harbours, Makara and the South Coast. The dross from our daily lives is washing down city drains and streams, spilling overboard from boats, and blowing from city streets, says Ryley Webster, Community Education Manager from Sustainable Coastlines, a New Zealand environmental charity that is carrying out an audit of the rubbish collected at the cleanup.

About 20 percent of the rubbish collected has been audited to see what it is and where its coming from.

The mountain of waste includes plastics of all kinds twisted ropes, bags, drinking straws, bottles and tops, pens tangled fishing lines, parking tickets, cigarette butts and packaging. There is shotgun casing and wadding likely swept down from farms, shoes to fit all sizes, and industrial strength rubber gloves. It also includes larger items like tyres, furniture - even a kitchen sink. Medical waste like syringes and asthma inhalers were picked up at some locations.

Volunteers collected 55 bags of rubbish from Evans Bay beach alone on Sunday 16 September, the day of Coastal Clean-up. In the week following this another 35 bags were picked up by people working on periodic detention.

Unfortunately, it is a constant flow of rubbish out to sea and onto our beaches. Every time it rains, rubbish makes its way into drains and then out to sea, says Ryley.

A lot of what we are finding relates to individual behaviour. This event was a great example of communities coming together to look after their coastlines and tackle what is a global problem at a local level.

The type of rubbish found often reflected the use of the area and catchment where it was found. Oriental Bay was littered with broken glass and cigarette butts and the Makara coastline was covered in rope.

Excerpt from:

City beaches reveal our careless habits

Colin Barnett, Western Australia premier, unveiled a Aus$6.85 million (4.4 million) package in shark mitigation strategies, including a track, catch and destroy programme, in the wake of five fatal attacks over the past year.

A further Aus$2 million would be set aside for shark research, while the remaining funding would be devoted to extra jet-skis for life guards, a study and trial of enclosures and a smartphone application for shark alerts.

"These new measures will not only help us to understand the behaviour of sharks but also offer beachgoers greater protection and confidence as we head into summer," said Barnett.

Western Australia's government has come under growing pressure to increase protection measures after the five deaths over the past year an unprecedented number for such a short period.

The most recent fatality was in July, when a surfer was bitten in half in a savage attack near Wedge Island, north of Perth, with another mauled but escaping alive last month at far-flung Red Bluff.

Most fatal attacks in the region involve great whites, among the largest shark species in the world and made famous by the horror movie "Jaws". They can grow up to 20 feet and weigh up to two tonnes.

Sharks are common in Australian waters but deadly attacks have previously been rare, with only one of the average 15 incidents a year typically proving fatal.

Experts say the average number of attacks in the country has increased in line with population growth and the popularity of water sports.

Source: AFP

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Sharks that stray too close to beaches to be killed

27 September 2012 Last updated at 09:45 ET

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Up to a quarter of Welsh beaches are "at risk" of losing their Blue Flag award next year

Almost a third of Wales' blue flag beaches could be stripped of their status due to the poor summer weather.

Environment Agency Wales (EAW) said the wettest UK summer in 100 years has resulted in a rise in bacteria levels in the water due to sewage pollution.

Businesses have expressed fear of a drop in trade if the blue flag status of their local beach is lost.

From next year, new rules will see water quality for blue flags assessed over four years rather than one.

The blue flag award is issued by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), which rates beaches on categories including facilities, environmental management, water quality and all-round cleanliness.

The heavy rain this summer has not only caused significant flooding and problems for farmers and tourism, it has also affected bathing waters at some of our beaches

Forty three beaches and five marinas in Wales earned the status in 2012, two more than in 2011.

The rest is here:

Blue flag fears after poor summer

27 September 2012 Last updated at 07:24 ET

Brazil's northeast coast boasts warm waters and beautiful beaches. But the coastal waters are home to many aggressive sharks, and in the last 20 years a spate of attacks has made this one of the most dangerous places in the world to swim. Rob Sawers reports.

In the last week of August, the body of Tiago Jose de Oliveira da Silva, 18, was found in the sea just south of Recife, in north-eastern Brazil. An autopsy ruled he had been killed by sharks.

His death was the 56th shark attack in Recife in 20 years. What is so shocking about Recife's attacks is that so many of them are fatal - 21 of the 56, a death rate of about 37%. This is much higher than the worldwide shark attack fatality rate, which is currently about 16%, according to Florida State Museum of Natural History .

According to Dr Rosangela Lessa of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), and president of the state's team trying to reduce shark attacks, the blame lies with recent environmental disturbances in the region. It is also because there are lots of beachgoers - and lots of aggressive sharks - sharing the water.

Scientists believe most of these attacks are committed by two species - bull sharks and tiger sharks - but forensic evidence has only been able to confirm the species responsible in eight of these attacks.

Bull sharks are considered the be one of the most dangerous shark species, with many proven attacks against man.

There are almost two million people in Recife and surrounding areas, and there are many beaches conveniently located in and around the city. But, some 700 metres off the coast lies a deep trench running parallel to the beaches near the city.

Sharks use this trench as a migratory route and emerge from it to hunt in the shallows.

It is Recife's Port Suape, though, that many see as the biggest cause of the recent attacks. Located 20km (12 miles) south of Boa Viagem Beach, where most of the attacks have occurred, the port has been the cause of much disturbance for marine life along the coast and the nearby estuaries.

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The danger lurking off Brazil's beaches