Some accommodation facilities in Anapa have introduced a practice requesting tourists sign a waiver regarding potential health issues after swimming. The aim is to inform guests about risks associated with mazut residue on beaches, where swimming is officially prohibited, though many disregard the ban.
Upon check-in at certain hotels and sanatoriums in Anapa, guests are asked to sign a document confirming they are aware of the swimming prohibition.
According to the regional operational headquarters, this measure serves as additional information for tourists about potential health hazards (skin diseases, allergies, poisoning) due to possible contact with mazut on coastal areas where emergency cleanup operations are ongoing.
Alexander Zyablov, a hotel owner in Anapa, considers this measure excessive.
A TikTok user posted a video from Vityazevo beach, noting that the water and sand seemed cleaner, but the beach was empty and the cafes were gone.
It`s the end of June, the sea is beautiful today, and the water and beach are cleaner than before. Everything is so clean, but the beach is empty. All the little cafes have been dismantled, as if they never existed.
Users on social media shared observations from Anapa`s central beach on June 21, 2025:
The water is about 20 degrees Celsius, it`s a bit stormy, the sand is clean. People are sunbathing slowly, few people are swimming.
Stanislav Ermolaev, an ecologist from Anapa and specialist in environmental management at the Diluch health resort complex, commented on the situation:
According to him, the weather has improved, but there`s no real summer heat yet. Swimming is officially prohibited on almost all sandy beaches, but people are doing it. Some children`s camps (like Zhemchuzhina) allow children to swim on their limited-access sections. The number of swimmers is increasing.
On most sandy beaches, the conditions are actually fine for swimming, although the formal ban remains. Rospotrebnadzor`s stance is unclear; they refer to analyses showing mazut presence in the sand. It`s hard to pinpoint specific `clean` beaches, as the problem is localized. In some areas (Central, Pioneer Avenue, Dzhemete towards Vityazevo, near the Krasnodarskaya Smena camp and the Davil complex), mazut is present, and people get their feet dirty. In other sections towards Vityazevo, it`s clean, the sand has been sieved.
It`s difficult to provide clear location markers. Hotel prices, in his opinion, are lower than last year.
However, the Temryuk district saw many tourists. On the pebble beach on June 22, 2025, during peak midday heat, there was practically no free space, as shown in videos from Telegram channels.
He deems the measure excessive, stating there`s no direct beach access ban, only warnings about cleanup work. He believes there`s no real threat on sandy beaches and no formal, official swimming prohibition, which he finds difficult to enforce. He personally observed very clean water and questions reports of carcinogens, calling them exaggerated compared to water quality in port cities like Novorossiysk, Tuapse, and Sochi.
Zyablov points out a significant decline in tourism (empty streets, low hotel occupancy). He is ironic about the idea of `air baths` being beneficial if the beach air is considered `poisoned`. He hasn`t seen any tourist fall ill from swimming and expresses bewilderment as to why seafood from `poisoned` water is considered safe.