ABSTRACT The use of video imaging and images processing techniques is increasingly used worldwide to deal with a variety of coastal engineering aspects. The European project COASTVIEW (EVK3-CT-2001-0054) has emphasised various coastal engineering fields for which video systems could be used in support to more traditional procedures of data acquisition and viewed as practical tools for an integrated management. The study presented here specifically deals with the use of video for assessment of the recreational use of beaches and is centred, through the example of the « Puntal » beach at Santander (Spain), on the analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of the users on the beach.