**5. Conclusions**

This study is the first to report the occurrence of antibiotic resistant *S. aureus* on recreational beaches in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Our results show that public beaches in the study area may be potential reservoirs for transmission of antibiotic resistant *S. aureus* to beach goers, particularly those with skin lesions. Results from this study are unlikely to be unique to the Eastern Cape or South Africa and further studies are needed to determine the distribution and level of antibiotic-resistant *S. aureus* in other public beaches.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors are grateful to the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) and the National Research Foundation of South Africa for financially supporting the research. We also acknowledge Gunda Spingies for critical English editing.

**Author Contributions:** Olufemi Emmanuel Akanbi and Anthony Otigbu collected the samples and performed the experiments; Justine Fri and Anna Clarke conceived and designed the experiment; Henry Akum Njom and Anna A. Clarke supervised the whole study; Olufemi Emmanuel Akanbi and Henry Akum Njom analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
