Last updated 24 September 2026

Terms of Service

The rules for using beaches.africa. Please read the disclaimer: beach information is a guide, not a guarantee.

Back to the map

1. Accepting these terms

Beaches Africa (beaches.africa) is run by Michael Ross Tarr, an individual trading as Beaches Africa ("we", "us"). By using the site you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use the site. You can reach us at welcome@beaches.africa.

2. The service

Beaches Africa is a free, informational directory and map of beaches. It shows things like open or closed status, lifeguard hours, shark flags and nets, water quality, weather, tides and ocean conditions, and a "swim conditions" guide worked out from that information. Beach managers and admins can sign in to keep beach details up to date, and anyone can suggest a beach.

3. Disclaimer: beach information is a guide only

Always follow lifeguards, signage, flags and official warnings. If they disagree with this site, they are right and we are wrong. In an emergency call 112 or 10177, or the NSRI on 087 094 9774.

  • We give no warranty, express or implied, that any information on the site is accurate, complete or up to date. This includes beach status, lifeguard presence and hours, shark flags and nets, water quality, weather, tide and ocean data, warnings and the swim-conditions guide.
  • Much of it comes from third parties, including Open-Meteo (weather, marine and tide forecasts), Shark Spotters, municipalities and other authorities, and people who submit or manage beaches. We don't control those sources. Forecasts are model estimates, and conditions at the beach can change within minutes.
  • The swim-conditions guide is an automatic summary of the information we have. It is not a safety assessment, and "good" conditions don't mean it is safe to swim.
  • The site doesn't replace lifeguards, signage or official warnings, and it isn't an emergency service.
  • Swimming, surfing and other ocean activities carry inherent risks, including drowning, rip currents, sharks and other marine life, pollution, weather and injury. You take part at your own risk and are responsible for your own safety and the safety of anyone in your care, including children.

4. Limitation of liability and indemnity

To the fullest extent permitted by law, including the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, the site is provided "as is" and "as available", and we are not liable for any loss, damage, injury or death, whether direct, indirect or consequential, arising from your use of, or reliance on, the site or its information. This applies whether the claim is based on contract, delict (including negligence) or any other ground. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including for gross negligence.

You indemnify us against claims, losses and costs arising from your breach of these terms, content you submit, or your misuse of the site.

5. Content you submit

When you suggest a beach or edit beach details, you give us a free, worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual licence to use, edit, publish and share that content as part of the site. You confirm that it is accurate to the best of your knowledge, and that it isn't unlawful, false, misleading, defamatory or infringing anyone's rights. We may edit, reject or remove any content.

6. Accounts

Accounts are for beach managers and admins. Keep your login details secure and tell us at welcome@beaches.africa if you think someone else has used your account. You are responsible for what happens under your account. We may change your access, or suspend or close your account, at any time, especially if you break these terms or publish inaccurate safety information.

7. Third-party services and links

The site uses and links to services run by others, including Mapbox (maps), Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze (directions) and Open-Meteo (weather data). Each has its own terms and privacy policy, and we aren't responsible for them. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

8. Intellectual property and acceptable use

The site's design, code, text and compilation of beach data belong to us or our licensors. You may use the site for personal, non-commercial purposes. You must not:

  • scrape or crawl the site or its API in a way that overloads it or bypasses rate limits;
  • abuse, attack or try to gain unauthorised access to the site, its API or its accounts;
  • submit false information, spam or malicious content; or
  • present the site's information as your own or as an official safety service.

9. Changes and termination

We may change, pause or stop the site, or any part of it, at any time. We may update these terms; the "last updated" date above shows when. If you keep using the site after a change, you accept the new terms. We may stop your access if you break them.

10. Governing law and our details

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and South African courts have jurisdiction. If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest still applies.

Information under section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002: