Every summer, in the wake of a tragedy, the serious problems that everyone is aware of but no one addresses in a timely manner come to light.

The tragedy at the CTO beach highlighted, in the most painful way possible, the weaknesses of the current lifeguard system. This is something the government itself acknowledges—that the model currently in place is problematic.

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The ministry of the interior responds: How will the police find the parent if the child’s ID does not list the parent’s name?

“The problem is not the number of certified lifeguards—which is more than sufficient—nor is it their pay. The problem is that there aren’t enough candidates to staff the beaches. The current model is problematic.” ^{Antonis Oikonomidis, Director of Local Government}

The Ministry attributes the problem to the certification system. Organizations provide training and issue certificates; however, the current draft stipulates that lifeguards must hold a certificate approved by the Cyprus Lifesaving Federation.

In fact, the Ministry even refers to interpersonal differences between lifesaving clubs and the Federation, which, it claims, are affecting the situation.

Those affected, however, take a different view and disagree with the Ministry’s position.

“The worst part is that there are beaches with no lifeguard coverage at all. The problem lies in the seasonal nature of the positions being advertised. Positions are advertised for 3, 4, or 5 months. And even if someone is qualified, who would quit their job to go work there?” ^{Polys Pallikasros, President of the Panhellenic Federation of Lifeguards}

The Federation’s President, speaking on our station’s program, describes incidents that seem to highlight the system’s serious weaknesses.

“In Paphos, we have only 10 lifeguards. There was an instance where, at 7:30 a.m., they called the lifeguard while he was at home, and he responded to a drowning incident.” ^{Polys Pallikasros, President of the Pan-Cyprian Lifeguard Federation}

And they propose that during the peak months—July, August, and September—the lifeguard towers be staffed from sunrise to sunset.

SOS for Famagusta

At the same time, the Famagusta district is also facing serious problems due to a shortage of staff, as no new lifeguards were hired in the district this year, despite the need driven by tourism. Meanwhile, some staff members have also left.

Watch Katerina Ioannou’s report