Goa govt issues advisory against venturing into sea

With monsoon showers threatening to lash state and a cyclonic storm expected to pass off Goa’s coast in the next 24 hours. The state government has issued monsoon advisory instructing visitors to not venture into the sea for swimming and water sports till the end of September.

An advisory issued on Friday by Drishti Marine, a private lifeguard service which has been appointed by the state government to prevent drowning incidents off Goa's beaches, has also advised that even in case of dry spells, visitors to the beach should not wade into the water above the knees due to powerful currents.

"With moderate and heavy rains lashing various parts of Goa, Drishti Marine, has issued a monsoon advisory instructing visitors to the beach not to venture into the sea during the monsoon months extending from June till the end of September," Drishti Marine's Ravi Shankar said in the statement issued here.

"We have put up red flags at all the beaches which means that the area is not meant for swimming. Even wading into the waters is not advisable. Our team of lifeguards present along the coast is monitoring the weather conditions. The team is trained to carry out rescues even in rough weather," Shankar said.

Around 600 lifeguards working for Drishti Marine, monitor 22 beaches across South Goa and 16 beaches across the North Goa stretch from sunrise to sunset.

“Goa’s coastline is quite complex and requires mapping every morning. If weather conditions are favourable, we may open up the zones on some of the beaches for visitors who want to wade into the water. These zones can be identified by the red and yellow flags and will be decided on a daily basis depending on the day’s weather. However, even in such conditions, swimming is not advisable due to the presence of underwater currents and rip tides," Shankar also said.

Goa is one of the top beaches and nightlife tourism destinations in India and its beaches attract more than six million tourists every year, which includes half a million foreign tourists.