Accessing the caves by swimming or using flotation devices will not be allowed
The long-awaited new navigation rules for Lagoa’s world-famous Benagil caves have been revealed and will come into force on August 13.
Among the new rules are:
- The prohibition of landing or using the beach within the Algar de Benagil for individuals and businesses;
- The prohibition of renting kayaks without a guide in the cave area;
- A ban on accessing the caves by swimming or using flotation devices;
- A limit on the number of boats and kayaks inside the cave;
- A time limit for visiting the caves;
- The implementation of a ratio of one “guide kayak” for every six touring kayaks in the area.
The complete set of rules can be consulted on the National Maritime Authority (AMN) website.
A set of fines are also foreseen for “operators of maritime-tourism vessels who do not comply with the rules stipulated in the notice”, which range from €300 to €216,000.
The final version of the joint notice that will promulgate the new navigation rules for the Benagil caves area, in the municipality of Lagoa, was reviewed on July 10 during a meeting headed by the Captain of the Port of Portimão and attended by representatives from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), the Municipality of Lagoa, the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), and the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Algarve).
These rules were developed considering the work carried out by the ‘Benagil Caves Working Group,’ namely the set of “consensual recommendations” reached by the working group.
“This notice and navigation instruction create a set of rules for the Benagil caves, aimed at regulating the traffic of maritime-tourism vessels, private boats, and beachgoers, both in the water and in the vicinity of the Benagil cave,” says a statement released by AMN.
After decades of being a natural jewel of the Algarve which not everyone knew about, the Benagil sea cave became a viral sensation in the last decade after it was featured in numerous international magazines and newspapers.
This surge in popularity turned Benagil into one of the Algarve’s most sought-after attractions, which also brought some negative consequences as the cave became significantly overcrowded with swimmers, tourist boats, paddle boards and kayaks in the summer, posing considerable security risks and leading to cases of accidents inside the cave.
Many daring beachgoers have also been rescued from the cave over the years after swimming to the cave but being unable to return on their own.
Following multiple calls for action, which warned that the overcrowding of Benagil could eventually lead to the destruction of its natural assets, the government decided to create a working group to tackle the issue, which resulted in the recently announced new measures.
