The news that lifeguards stationed at Golden Bay helped two young tourists in distress is a clear indicator of the immediate impact their presence has had at Maltese beaches.

The lifeguards observed that the two girls were in serious difficulty and proceeded immediately to their assistance.

The service at Golden bay was initiated on 15 June and will be maintained until the end of the summer season, seven days a week from 10am – 6pm. The service provided by the Malta Tourism Authority is part of a pilot project for the bay’s beach management and complements other guard stations at St George’s bay, St Julians, the perched beach at Bugibba as well as at Ghadira bay, Mellieha. Two lifeguards are on duty seven days a week at each of the sites.

The fact that our beaches need trained and qualified life guards is undisputable. The stark reality is that people like to swim in summer, and inevitably, some find themselves in difficulty and drown – as has already happened this year.

The placement of lifeguards at Golden Bay in particular is positive, mostly due to the strong undertows and rip currents that develop due to surf or adverse weather conditions.

It has been long overdue, and to be quite frank, they should have been in place 24/7 as they are now for a good number of years. At least, they are now there and the success they have immediately registered makes things look positive for the future. The campaign should gather steam, especially when the figures of how many people were either rescued or given assistance are made public.

But, Joe Public has a role to play too. Just because lifeguards are present, that does not give swimmers a free hand in what they do at the beach or in the water. All too often, swimmers take unnecessary risks by going into the water (and swimming out) when the weather is not conducive to swimming and even on occasion, when the red flag is up.

This is irresponsible behaviour, although sometimes with tourists, it can be ignorance of the fact that Malta has some pretty strong currents in its waters that can easily drag you out to sea, or prevent you from returning to shore leisurely. The secret that people must always remember when it comes to currents is not to fight them, but to swim across them until it releases its grip on you.

Swimming zones have also not yet sunk in (excuse the pun). The authorities have gone to great lengths to set up boat exclusion zones, corridors for sea craft and swimming lines. Yet if one observes people at the beach, it becomes amply clear that most people either do not have any common sense, or again are ignorant to what these demarcation floats represent. It is utterly incomprehensible to have a boat corridor to shore, and then watch children playing right in it – parents should know better. Swimmers (and also divers) are almost invisible if they are up to their chest in water from the point of view of a boat driver. In short, lifeguards are a welcome – if overdue – addition to our beaches. But swimmers must also be responsible and not provoke danger. This means keeping within your limits, obeying flag signals, sticking to swimming zones and supervising children. If all these are done, coupled with the presence of guards, we should see a lot less drowning incidents this summer.