No selfies on Goa beaches in danger zones amid rain, storm warning

Planning to take selfies on a Goa beach during a weekend trip to the coastal state? Think again.

Goa's private lifeguard agency and beach management, Drishti Marine, on Thursday, issued a warning against taking selfies in marked danger zones in the state's coastal areas, amid a warning by the Indian Meteorological Department predicting fierce rains in the state over the weekend.

Swimming in the seas off Goa has also been banned over the week, when the state as well as parts of coastal Karnataka are expected to witness heavy rains, strong winds and thunderstorms.

“IMD has predicted very heavy rainfall for the next few days across Goa. Visitors to the beach are advised to not enter the sea as the sea conditions are expected to be extremely rough," Executive Director of the lifeguard agency Ravi Shankar said in a statement on Thursday. No-Swim zones as well as 'no selfie zones' are marked by red flags, he also said.

“It has been observed that a number of visitors to the beach are scaling rocky areas and cliff tops in an attempt to get photographs to share on their social media profiles. Many of the images and videos posted online are located at extremely dangerous locations amidst steep rocks with jagged edges, areas with loose rocks and locations prone to rip currents and fierce waves," the statement issued by the Executive Director of Drishti Ravi Shankar said, adding that such trends could cause serious threat to visitors.

Selfies of a typical 'beachy' Goa holiday is a popular trend on social media. The state has over two dozen 'no selfie zones', mostly along the coastline, most of which were marked after a spate of accidental deaths while taking selfies in 2018.

Goa is reckoned as one of the top beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country. After a long lull in tourism activity on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the easing of travel restrictions via Unlock 4.0, the Goa tourism stakeholders expect a trickle of tourists to begin over the coming months.