How to report a beach and which photo helps

Why your report matters

The satellite sees sargassum at sea, but not always: clouds hide it, and close to shore it is hard to tell apart. People on the sand see what is really there. Every recent report goes into that beach's index and shows up under "Today's reports" for anyone deciding whether to go.

Step by step

1. Open the beach. On the beach page, tap "Report how it is".
2. Sign in. Reporting needs an account: continue with Apple or with Google. Looking at the map and the levels needs no account.
3. Confirm your age. The first time, we ask you to confirm you are 13 or older.
4. Choose what you see. One tap is enough: "Nothing or almost nothing on the sand", "Some sargassum, but you can stay" or "Sand covered or a strong smell".
5. Add a photo if you like. It is optional. You can send the report without one.
6. Send. You will see the confirmation and the points you earned.

Which photo helps

• The shore, with the sand in view. Show where the water breaks and the dry sand.
• In daylight, with good light. At night or against the sun, sargassum is hard to make out.
• No faces. Just the scenery. If a recognizable face appears, we reject the photo.
• One photo, not a video, of 8 MB at most.

We check the photo right away to make sure it shows the shore. If what it shows does not match the level you chose, the report goes to review before it counts.

What we do with your photo

From a report we keep only which beach it is, never the exact location. Before we store the photo we strip its metadata, such as GPS and camera details. The photo is never published: the public only sees that the report has a "verified photo". After 90 days we delete it. The details are in the Privacy policy.

Points

A report earns 10 points and a photo 5 more. Points arrive when the report is approved; if it goes to review, you get them once it is approved. Points move you up the levels on your profile.

A good report

Report what you see right now on that beach, not what you saw yesterday or next door. An honest ten-second report is worth more than any forecast.