The clear blue waters of the sea around Cyprus and the long stretches of sandy beaches offer excellent opportunities for swimming and sunbathing.
There are numerous organised beaches, including those of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, with cafes, bars and restaurants and other facilities, as well as umbrellas and sun beds for hire.
The CTO’s four beaches are:
a) Yeroskipou Public Beach: at Yeroskipou, 3 km east of Paphos Harbour, Tel: 26964525.
b) Dasoudi Public Beach: 5 km east of Limassol town centre, Tel: 25322881.
c) Larnaca Public Beach: 10 km east of Larnaca town centre, Tel: 24646244.
d) Polis Public Beach: (Also equipped with ramp for wheelchairs), Tel: 26322509.
Seaside hotels, as well as various other tourist establishments and municipalities also provide facilities to swimmers.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
– RED buoys indicate the “swimmers’ protected area”, which is off limits to speed-boats and any other floating craft and are by law strictly reserved for swimmers. This applies ONLY for the period from early May to November from 07:30 until 20:30.
– Swimmers must adhere to Lifeguards’ instructions at all times. Many beaches do not have lifeguards on duty. Swimming is prohibited on some beaches where the sea has strong currents and swimmers are urged to comply with warning signs. The west coast of Paphos is mainly rocky and exposed to strong winds which often results in dangerous swimming conditions. The public is urged to avoid swimming under such conditions. In all cases, please ask for advice at your hotel reception.
LIFEGUARD FLAGS:
– RED OVER YELLOW (One square flag-two horizontal stripes): If flying just by itself without other flags = Excellent swimming conditions and the Lifeguard post is on duty.
There MUST be two (2) of these red & yellow flags: the first approximately 100 metres left of the lifeguard post and the second a similar distance on the right of the post. These approx. 200 metres are the “efficient” boundaries of the lifeguards and non-proficient swimmers MUST keep within these boundaries.
– YELLOW: Swim with caution (usually put up at 11-13 knots of wind)
– RED: Very dangerous to swim. DO NOT SWIM
