Only Two Lifeguards Cover 160 km of Coastline
Around 400 lifeguards are licensed in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, but most work for concessionaires and hotels. City beaches remain unprotected, and swimmers warn of safety risks.
Around 400 lifeguards are licensed in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, but most work for concessionaires and hotels. City beaches remain unprotected, and swimmers warn of safety risks.
The stretch from Mošćenička Draga to Novalja spans a full 160 kilometers, yet only two lifeguards are on duty at the city beaches in this area. While swimmers cool off during heatwaves, these lifeguards are the first to spring into action when an intervention is needed.
Andre Merić, a 19-year-old lifeguard at the beach in Kostrena, keeps a watchful eye on every move of the swimmers. "We're the first aid here. Our job is to keep a cool head," Merić tells Dnevnik. Although young, he has already held someone's life in his hands: "A boy fell on the rocks here and split his head open. There was blood, but we managed to patch him up."
Andre and his colleague, the only two lifeguards on the city beaches along this stretch, are the ones ensuring that similar scenes end well. Swimmers agree that additional manpower would be welcome. "Always, extra safety never hurts," says Siniša from Canada.
Igor from Rijeka, who swims often and every day swims to the orange buoy, warns: "There are older people here too. Something can always happen to someone." Marina, also from Rijeka, adds that for safety's sake, it wouldn't hurt to have lifeguards present because there are children and non-swimmers.
Slavko from Rijeka hasn't seen lifeguards at his beach. "There's a hut, but I haven't seen anyone. It would be good if they were here. To pay attention. Especially to the youngest. That's why I watch over them like a grandfather," he says.
In Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, only about 400 lifeguards are licensed, and the need grows year by year. "The need certainly goes up to a thousand lifeguards. This heatwave we've had over the last 20 days has increased the number of interventions," says Ivan Uravić, coordinator of the lifeguard service at the Red Cross Society of PGŽ.
Despite working without rest, the hourly wage of 11 euros attracts young people. "We have new, young lifeguards ready for the season. So mostly in the spring, job ads go out. They're mostly from private concessionaires, hotel companies, camps, and other concessionaires," explains Uravić.
As a result, towns and municipalities are left without lifeguards. "For beaches without a Blue Flag, there's actually no legal obligation for lifeguards. Take the example of Kostanj beach in Rijeka, which is a beach for people with disabilities, where it's extremely important for us to have lifeguards, and we see we haven't managed to get them. If we tried anywhere else, the result would probably be the same," says Aleksandar-Saša Milaković, deputy mayor of Rijeka.
The consequence is clear: beaches are left without those who would be the first to react in a critical moment, and the responsibility for swimmers' safety increasingly falls on the swimmers themselves.
