France: Sea resorts flags

Last modified: 2021-06-15 by ivan sache
Keywords: sea resort |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

• France Station Nautique certification
  • Faites du Nautisme
• Démarche qualité eaux de baignade certification

See also:

• France
• Warning flags on beaches

France Station Nautique certification

France Station Nautique certification - Image by Ivan Sache, 16 April 2018

France Station Nautique is a certification (website) granted by the France Stations Nautiques association, which succeeded in December 2001 France Stations Voile - Nautisme et Tourisme, which had itself succeeded in November 1996 the original Association France Station Voile, established in 1990 by the French Sailing Federation and by representatives of the existing sailing stations.

The certification scheme, based on nine items, has four levels, symbolized by one to four stars. There are currently 23 certified resorts in continental France and another six in the Caribbean islands.
The flag awarded to certified resorts (photo, photo, photo, photo) is blue with the certification emblem.

Ivan Sache, 16 April 2018

Faites du Nautisme

Flag of Faites du Nautisme - Image by Ivan Sache, 16 April 2018

The Fêtes du Nautisme (Watersports Festival) were organized by the Fédération des Industries Nautiques (Federation of Watersports Industry), which announced they would not organize the event in 2016. The organization of the festival was taken over by 16 Stations Nautiques, under the new name "Faites du Nautisme" ("Do watersports", but pronounced exactly like "Fêtes du Nautisme").

Flag of Fêtes du Nautisme - Image by Ivan Sache, 16 April 2018

The flag of the former Fêtes du Nautisme (photo, photo) was yellow with the festival's emblem.

Ivan Sache, 16 April 2018

Démarche qualité eaux de baignade certification

Démarche qualité eaux de baignade certification - Image by Ivan Sache, 13 April 2018

Démarche qualité eaux de baignade (Quality standards for bathing water) is a certification established by the Ministry of the Environment and two associations of local elected officials, ANEL (Association des élus du littoral) and ANMSCCT (Association nationale des maires des stations classé:es et communes), renamed to ANETT (Association nationale des élus des territoires touristiques) in 2015.

In compliance with EU Directive No. 2006/7, the certification aims at assuring the health of bathers. An independent certification organism checks, according to a national referential, "the robustness of the dynamic survey of the quality of the bathing water" (active management) set up by the local collectivities. The main issues are real-time information of the public and crisis management in case of water pollution.
Unfortunately much less known than the Blue Flag, which is a private certification scheme subject to several critics, the Quality of bathing water certificate is the sole referential assuring that bathing is fully secured by the person in charge of the bathing site.

As of August 2010, 28 municipalities were certified. This number increased in 2017 to 94, encompassing 228 bathing sites, distributed as follows (list):
- North Sea and Channel: 11 municipalities, 14 sites;
- Atlantic Ocean: 56 municipalities, 192 sites;
- Mediterranean Sea: 15 municipalities, 120 sites;
- Caribbean Islands: 2 municipalities, 7 sites;
- Inland waters: 10 municipalities, 15 sites.
The (permanent) population of the certified municipalities ranges from 219 (Arjuzanx) to 75,731 inhabitants (Antibes), with 16 municipalities having more than 10,000 inhabitants (Rognac, 11,830 inh.; Tarnos, 12,354 inh.; Berre-l'Étang, 13,689 inh.; Sainte-Maxime, 14,018 inh.; Châteauneuf-les-Martigues, 14,146 inh.; Biscarosse, 14,174 inh.; Pornic, 14,578 inh.; Biarritz, 24,713 inh.; Mont-de-Marsan, 31,009 inh.; Marignane, 34,154 inh.; Vitrolles, 34,236 inh.; Joué-les-Tours, 37,748 inh.; Anglet, 38,633 inh.; Istres, 43,463 inh.; Hyères, 56,502 inh.; Antibes).

The flag granted to certified municipalities (photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo) is white with the certification's emblem, a rectangle with rounded corners divided into seven, irregular wavy stripes in different shades of blue - very dark, medium, dark, medium, dark, medium, and very dark, separated from each other by a thinner white wavy stripe. A white lens is placed in the left part of the emblem, with the waves inside increased, conveying an idea of quality control and also shaped like letter "Q"; the white silhouette of a crawling swimmer is placed in the right part of the emblem.
The name of the certification is written beneath the emblem "DÉMARCHE QUALITÉ (very dark blue) EAUX DE BAIGNADE (dark blue)".

Ivan Sache & Olivier Touzeau, 2 May 2021