The first day of the official bathing season didn’t start too well for those choosing to swim at Praia Formosa. Beyond the main access, the areas to the far west were red-flagged due to spring tides.
The same happened on the neighbouring beach, at Doca do Cavacas, where A yellow flag was raised due to the unpredictable conditions.
Despite the warnings by the authorities and visible signage, several bathers were seen defying the red flag warnings and swimming as far as 100 metres from the unguarded area of the beach.
Spring tides, also referred to as “King Tides,” are not named after the season but rather because they appear to “spring forth.” These tides occur twice during each lunar month.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
