Lifeguard service starts on weekends

Marbella is gearing up for its high beach season with one of the most notable services on the coast: Lifeguarding and Rescue. While these professionals have been present during April and Easter, the service now officially begins, operating on weekends in May and every day from June with a new feature compared to last year: the shift will be one hour longer in July and August.

Thus, the Marbella coast will have a broader operational schedule in a system that, during the low season from April to June 30 and from September 1 to October 15, will mobilize 26 lifeguards from 12 PM to 6 PM, while in the high season, July and August, the personnel will increase to 46 and will be operational from 11 AM to 7 PM seven days a week. Additionally, the deployment includes three jet skis, two vehicles, and two ambulances.

On the other hand, the Local Police will monitor the 27 kilometers of coastline with three daily patrols, one plainclothes and two in uniform, four quad bikes, and four drones, while Civil Protection will allocate about ten volunteers in two shifts based at La Bajadilla next to the rescue service, equipped with two jet skis, one boat, two quads, one buggy, two motorcycles, three 4x4 off-road vehicles, and two vans as material resources. The service will also be equipped with a boat and two jet skis from the Fire Department, which will have a standby crew from its Underwater Unit for surface operations.

Drill

In addition to the personnel and equipment deployed on the beaches of Marbella and San Pedro Alcántara, the Marbella City Council conducts an annual drill to check the coordination of all parties involved in the Lifeguarding and Rescue service and to measure response times for each potential danger situation that may arise.

This year, more than 40 emergency service personnel from the Local Police, Fire Department, Civil Protection, and the rescue unit participated in the annual test at Levante Beach in Puerto Banús, where this time, three different scenarios were developed: a supposed land search for a missing minor, a fictional collision between two boats, and a hypothetical underwater search near the west breakwater.

Councilor Diego López emphasized the importance of "testing the capacity and coordination to respond in emergency situations." These exercises have also been part of the requirements demanded by the Quality Q standards to renew the awards held by Marbella.