Durban’s beaches have received some disappointing ratings in a new analysis of Google reviews, with several of the city’s coastal spots featuring among South Africa’s lowest-rated beaches.
The findings come as eThekwini Municipality’s beaches also miss out on Blue Flag status for the 2026/2027 season, meaning no Durban beaches have received the internationally recognised award.
The analysis, conducted by SEO experts at seobacklinks.com, examined over 160 000 Google reviews across 119 South African beaches, ranking those with at least 200 reviews.
Durban beaches among the worst-rated
Blue Lagoon Beach in Durban received an average rating of 4.21 stars from 1 987 Google reviews, placing it among South Africa’s 10 lowest-rated beaches.
Thekwini Beach also made the list, with an average of 4.25 stars from 218 reviews.
Further north, Westbrook Beach, near Durban, recorded a rating of 4.26 stars from 898 reviews.
Other KwaZulu-Natal beaches in the bottom 10 included Alkantstrand Beach in Richards Bay, which received 3.82 stars, Blythedale Beach near KwaDukuza at 4.10 stars, and St Winifred’s Beach in Kingsburgh at 4.20 stars.
The lowest-rated beach in the country was actually Monwabisi Beach in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, with an average of 3.67 stars from 353 reviews.
No Blue Flag beaches in Durban
The Google ratings follow another disappointing development for the city’s coastline: No beaches within eThekwini Municipality received Blue Flag status for the 2026/2027 season.
The Blue Flag programme recognises beaches that meet a range of environmental, safety, water-quality and facilities requirements. Its criteria include regular water-quality testing, public safety measures, environmental management and visitor information.
The absence of Blue Flag status does not automatically mean that every Durban beach is unsafe for swimming. However, it means none of the municipality’s beaches has received this particular recognition for the coming season.
Western Cape beaches lead the rankings
The analysis found that the Western Cape dominated South Africa’s highest-rated beaches, accounting for eight of the national top 10.
Dias Beach at Cape Point took first place, with an average rating of 4.87 stars from 333 reviews.
Robberg 5 Beach in Plettenberg Bay and Struisbaai Main Beach followed, both with ratings of 4.75 stars.
Across the Western Cape’s 66 ranked beaches, the average rating was 4.58 stars, compared with 4.50 stars across all the beaches included in the study.
Oliver Weston, founder of seobacklinks.com, said reviewers at highly rated beaches frequently praised clean sand, calm water and space, while complaints about lower-rated beaches often focused on litter, damaged facilities and poor maintenance.
With the summer holiday season approaching, the findings offer beachgoers another factor to consider when choosing where to spend their time along South Africa’s coastline.
Visitors should check the latest local beach and water-quality advisories before swimming, and use designated swimming areas where lifeguards are on duty.