Puerto Peñasco slapping sunscreen on its own back? Nope, not this time.  Sure, the city relies on being a tourism destination. So having “Sandy Beach” certified as a clean and sustainable beach is of course important. But what used to be a challenge ending in frustration is now a source of beaming pride. Congratulations to city officials and Sandy Beach Resorts for coming together. Now they are improving the footprints left in the sand.

All beaches in Mexico are under the authority of the federal government. The country knows it is constantly competing with beach travel destinations around the world. As a result, one cannot be having high and low tides in boasting about its beaches.

The powerful government decision maker is the Mexican Standards and Certification Institute (INMC). It just announced the awarding of Rocky Point’s popular Sandy Beach with Level II certification for 2021. This lofty status was first achieved by Puerto Peñasco in 2017.

Getting Sandy Beach Certified as a 2021 Clean and Sustainable Beach is far from a handout. This title must be earned through proven care, clean-up work and preservation efforts. The goal is boosting confidence in local residents and visiting tourists. And spreading the word Sandy Beach is clean and safe to enjoy.

“This confirms and guarantees Sandy Beach is a safe, clean, and inclusive beach,” said Cesar Garcia of the Federal Maritime Land Zone in Puerto Peñasco. “It means excellent sea water quality, a permanent environmental education campaign, and monitoring and environmental care programs to make it worthy of maintaining a Level 2 certification.”

Being certified requires compliance with various environmental quality standards. The performance criteria being measured includes water quality, monitoring indigenous species, and biodiversity studies. Also important are clean-up services. And let’s not go forgetting the topic no one wants to think about – solid waste management.

Running 1700 meters long, Sandy Beach in Rocky Point is Mexico’s longest coastline maintaining the Clean and Sustainable Beach Honors. What an extraordinary achievement for a small seaside resort town.

First, winning once could be considered lucky.  Secondly, you might say twice is even luckier. And of course, we all know “three times is a charm” right? But now, Sandy Beach Certified as a 2021 Clean and Sustainable Beach is proof of performance. Period. It is a shining new example of history repeating itself. Plus, a clear sign of a positive change in the culture. Good for Puerto Peñasco beachgoers and for the environment.