Rules for visiting Algar de Benagil come into effect on August 13
It is now forbidden to disembark or use the sand inside the Benagil Cave, to access the area by swimming or with buoys and armbands, to rent kayaks without a guide or to sail between sunset and sunrise. These are just some of the rules that will come into effect from August 13, according to the edict from the Port Captain of Portimão, made public on Tuesday.
The rules, the notice highlights, define the “navigation conditions in the area corresponding to the Benagil cave system, between Vale de Lapa beach and Albandeira beach, as well as the adjacent body of water”.
In other words, they apply to an entire extensive area of the Lagoa coastline, including the Marinha or Carvoeiro beaches, “in order to ensure that navigation, in particular in the vicinity and access to the Benagil caves (…) is carried out under the appropriate safety conditions, safeguarding its visitors, MT [Maritime-Tourism] operators, navigation in general in the area and the environment”, highlights the notice.
The new regulations, which also define the fines to be applied in case of non-compliance, were created «taking into account the work developed by the “Benagil Caves Working Group”, in particular the set of consensual recommendations that were possible to reach within the scope of the appointed working group», highlights the document, signed by Commander Eduardo Pousadas Godinho, Captain of the Port of Portimão.
In addition to the rules already mentioned above, access to the Benagil Cave will now be done “by geographical separation”: motorboats will enter the cave from the west side, while non-motorized platforms, such as kayaks, boards and canoes, will only use “the east entrance, in a single file, and circulation in a “U” (hook) to enter and exit the cave”.
There will also be a waiting area, in front of Algar, where boats will have to wait their turn (see image).
The number of boats and the duration of visits inside the cave are also limited: up to three motorized boats can enter, “if they are less than 12 meters long”, but only one if it is larger. The visit may last a maximum of two minutes.
Non-motorized equipment can enter in groups of six, but always accompanied by another, certified guide, and can remain for a maximum of eight minutes. The guide must have “a means of communication with land that allows him, in case of need, to request assistance or help”.
Crew members and tourists are required to wear life jackets throughout the trip, as well as a helmet “in the vicinity of areas where rocks are at risk of falling from cliffs, caves and sinkholes”.
Underwater or recreational fishing and “scuba diving or free-snorkeling inside caves or in access areas” are also prohibited, with the exception of “monitoring or scientific research activities”, after authorization by the competent authorities.
Furthermore, both motorized and non-motorized platforms may only access the area if the “meteoroceanographic conditions” allow it and if no “Notice to Mariners has been implemented that conditions or prohibits the activity of visiting the Benagil Caves”.
A reduced speed should also be used when approaching the coast and during the respective manoeuvres, sufficient only to manoeuvre, using a course perpendicular to the coastline. They must also “avoid producing noise beyond legally established limits.”
Supervision will be carried out by the Maritime Police, the Portuguese Environment Agency, local authorities, ICNF and “other police and administrative authorities depending on the subject matter and territory”.
Fines for non-compliance may range from 2,200 to 44,000 euros.
RNAAT nº 127/2022