Eight beaches this week were defrocked of their Blue Flag designation, which certifies them safe for human use and rates the level of contamination with a star system.

Seven Pacific coast beaches in the Guanacaste and Puntarenas provinces that lost their Blue Flag honors were Arenilla, Ocotal, Tamarindo, Manzanillo, Agujas, Pelada de Nosara and Dominical.

On the Caribbean side, just one beach, Playa Negra in Puerto Viejo, lost the designation.

Tamarindo's beach did not regain certification, even though Mayor Jorge Chavarría said February tests he ordered showed the beach was much better than August 2007 tests conducted by the National Water and Sewer Institute.

The August test results led to the beach losing its designation and a wave of inspections by the Health Ministry that resulted in 65 sewage citations and 11 business closures.

Blue Flag Director Darner Mora could not be reached for comment.

The daily La Nación reported Tamarindo received the worst rating from the Blue Flag program, which is run out of the National Water Laboratory, because of fecal contamination.

Manzanillo beach, which is directly in front of the troubled but recently reopened Hotel Allegro Papagayo, also lost its designation, allegedly because of contamination caused by the hotel.

The Costa Rican Blue Flag program started in 1996 is unrelated to the international program of the same name.