Cristina Hodgson
YELLOW and orange warning flags have been flying since yesterday, Friday August 12, along the western coast of Malaga due to the high presence of jellyfish— with Marbella the municipality with the most beaches on alert.
Jellyfish come out with the heat, and the increase of the temperatures in the area together with the continuous heatwaves this year has seen many jellyfish washing ashore.
What’s more, it is expected that the jellies will extend their stay until ‘well into the autumn’.
According to marine biologist and research professor of the CSIC, Josep Maria Gili, jellyfish thrive in warm water and have been sighted on Malaga beaches since last May and, as claimed by Gili, they will continue to be in the area until November, when their natural period on the Spanish coasts is usually between June and September.
Marbella is currently the Malaga municipality with the most beaches on alert, with yellow jellyfish warning flags flying at the following playas:
– El Cable
– Guadalmina
– La Venus
– Pinomar
– Real de Zaragoza
The yellow flag will also be maintained in Estepona on El Saladillo beach.
Furthermore, El Cristo beach in Estepona has an orange flag for jellyfish, the first beach in Malaga to fly an orange warning flag for jellyfish in the month of August.
The areas that continue to enjoy the green flag with respect to these marine creatures are the coasts of:
– Algarrobo
– Benalmadena
– Casares
– Fuengirola
– Manilva
– Mijas
– Malaga
– Nerja
– Rincón de la Victoria
– Torremolinos
– Torrox
– Velez-Malaga
For more information on jellyfish invasions in the area, there is a free app available (infomedusa) for all androids and iphones, which provides a jellyfish forecast for the entire coast, as well as general data on beach conditions and also explains how best to deal with a sting.
READ MORE:
- Experts warn of high numbers of jellyfish along Spain’s Costa del Sol due to levante winds
- Jellyfish population surge on southern Spanish beaches as rising sea pollution kills predators
