Friday, 30 January 2026

Golden Beach Puri -- Blue Flag Certified

Blue Flag Certification? What does it mean? Where can we find a Blue Flag Certified beach? How many certified beaches does India have?

Blue Flag Certification is a prestigious eco-label, awarded by Denmark's Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). It signifies beaches that meet strict criteria in areas like water quality, environmental management, safety, and environmental education, promoting sustainable coastal tourism.   Blue Flag Certification is given to beaches, marinas, boats and sustainable boating tourism operators worldwide. Ghumakkad recently visited the blue flag certified Golden Beach in Puri, on the east coast of India. 

Worldwide there are more than 5000 blue flag certified beaches with Spain leading the tally with 700+ beaches. India has 12 blue flag certified baches. See the map below.

Sharing below a short picture story of the Golden Beach in Puri. Enjoy the pictures, videos and do plan a trip to Puri. Don't miss the morning magic at the beach.



Here is a short video clip showing the pre-dawn panoramic view of the beach with the surf breaking close by.


Ghumakkad was part of the College Reunion in Puri. See another short video capturing the surf and few batchmates who were early risers at the beach.



Although approaching 75, the winter chill did not deter the 'young' batchmates from plunging into the sea. Short video clip shot by VK for you. Please pardon the camera shake.





Coming out of the sea, cold wind was biting. The teeth started to chatter while I shot the video below. Feel the chill and enjoy.

Beaches tell us to take a pause in life. Pause to reflect, pause to admire Nature. Pause to hear your inner voice.


Cleanliness
Entry to the beach is ticketed and visitors are fined for littering etc. It ensures cleanliness and upkeep of the beach.



Sustainable Coastal Ecosystem
Golden Beach at Puri meets the criteria of sustainable ecosystem. A two-km long walkway along the beach is a treat. With casuarinas to arrest the coastal winds and sand erosion, the walkway has been well conceived and maintained by a Beach Management Committee (BMC). The workers take pride in donning the BMC uniform.





The video below shows the sustaiable ecosystem including the amphitheatre. Whole beach is neat and clean. It can be done in India. Go Puri go!



Environmental Education

The beach has signages which bring out the words of advice from marine environment very imaginatively. See the pictures below.





Safety and First Aid
The beach caters for all safety aspects. There are life guards both male and female on the beach. In fact after kashi and I entered the water and were swimming afar, we heard a whistle. Someone was asking us not to swim. We ignored. This time two people blew their whistles. They were the life guards. We had entered the sea in a non-safe zone unknowingly. We later came to know that the safe zones are marked with a pair of yellow flags. Thankfully they did not fine us for the default. The beach has a proper first aid post.

The deadwood which gets washed ashore on a clean beach is left undisturbed. One such piece looked like a giant crab. See the picture below.

The Golden Beach is not very far from Jagannath temple in Puri. See the map below. We also visited Satapada for dolphin sighting in Chilka lake, which will be another story.


Our earlier story of two Blue flag certified beaches, can be accessed through the links below: Although Ghumakkad has been to four other certified beaches in Lakshadweep, Vizag and Kerala, I did not have digital camera then for posting the corresponding picture stories.

Radhanagar Beach - In Andamans, where the voice of the sea speaks to your soul.

Chandrabhaga Beach  - Picture story with video clips of a Blue Flag awarded beach in India.

Visit to a beach is so rejuvenating. If alone, you can speak to your self and hear your inner voice. If in a group, the whole group gets recharged. So, go ahead and plan a vacation at a beach. If it is blue flag certified, you are assured of the cleanliness and safety.

We end with a quotation by Martin Buber who said 'Solitude is the place of purification'. See the PQ of the beach at Surya Lanka near Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh below.


 Thanks for browsing and stay connected. Do leave a comment, even a word or two will encourage us.


    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 30th Jan 2026

#BlueFlagCertification #FEEDenmark #Beaches #BlueFlag #SeaBeach #Solitude #Reunion #Odisha #GoldenBeach #Puri #BeachManagementCommittee #GhumakkadHarsh #Ghumakkadhb #environmentaleducation #BITSPilani #196873Batch #Batchmates 


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19 comments:

  1. Venugopal30 January 2026 at 18:39

    Wonderful experience you had Sir. We too experienced it digitally, through this blog. Great going indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PRR30 January 2026 at 18:58

    I have just finished reading your coverage on the "Blue Flag Certified" Golden Beach in Puri, and I felt compelled to reach out. As with your previous works, this was an absolutely stellar piece—though I must say, you seem to outdo yourself every single time.

    I was particularly struck by the "Blue Flag Certification" aspect. It was a complete revelation to me, and I am grateful for the detailed, lucid way you explained it. It has certainly broadened my horizons.

    Your writing is truly immersive; you left no stone unturned. From the geographical precision of the map to the practicalities of the stay, you curated a perfect 24-hour itinerary that answered every possible question. However, what truly moved me were the whimsical perspectives you shared—the "quotes" from the Mermaid, the Sea Turtle, the Moon, and the Dolphin were simply poetic and beyond words. It added a magical soul to an already informative article.

    Furthermore, I appreciate the grounding reality of your picture story. By highlighting everything from basic First Aid to the dedicated efforts of the BMC in maintaining the beach, you provided a complete and reassuring picture for any traveler.

    Thank you for such an enriching and beautiful article. It was a joy to read.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Banjo30 January 2026 at 22:21

    Beautiful shots captured.The blog is educative too. Enjoyed the reading of the blog

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    Replies
    1. Harsh Bhargava30 January 2026 at 22:38

      Thanks Dada for browsing and for the encouraging words.
      Appreciate.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous31 January 2026 at 02:45

      Well documented Puri beach. Enjoyed reading it. 👍

      Delete
    3. Harsh Bhargava31 January 2026 at 12:25

      Thanks for writing. Appreciate

      Delete
  4. Anita30 January 2026 at 23:46

    Loved this blog, your photography, videos and narration of the beauty of the Golden beach. By the way, and you may know this already, the Chandrabhaga beach aka Konark beach, also is a blue flag certified beach. In fact it was the first beach in India to get the blue flag certification.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harsh Bhargava31 January 2026 at 12:56

      Thanks Anita.
      Yes Chandrabhaga story has been embedded in this post.

      Delete
  5. Ashok suri31 January 2026 at 06:58

    Your blogs always encourage the reader to dig deeper into the subject and your story to learn more. Having visited Radhey, Balasore, Gopalpur, Vizag, Diu; I felt Puri was more serene and peaceful. Thanks for wonderful story. Harsh

    ReplyDelete
  6. MV VASUDEVAN31 January 2026 at 08:33

    Dear Harsh. One of your best Narratives with photos, especially on Environment, whether it is Digital or Analog . Learnt about Blue Flag Certified beaches in India. We do have Islands ( beaches ) of Excellence in India . Keep going . BRAVO ZULU

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harsh Bhargava31 January 2026 at 12:59

      Thanks much Commander- Professor.
      We are endowed with so much natural beauty in India.
      Glad you liked the post.

      Delete
  7. Peter de Padua31 January 2026 at 11:08

    Thanks sir,
    Enjoyable and informative read.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous31 January 2026 at 12:17

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous31 January 2026 at 12:29

    Incredible shots stunning pictures. Description is such that it captures essence of Golden Beach perfectly. This brought back such fond memories of our own two trips of there. We covered Gopalpur too. It is truly a pristine peaceful spot. You really did justice to the beauty of this Blue Flag Beach.

    Madhulika Mundhra

    ReplyDelete

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