The first weekend of 2026 saw Goa's popular beaches bustling with tourists, but also kept lifeguards on high alert as they performed a significant number of rescues and provided first aid for various injuries.
A Wave of Incidents Across Popular Shores
Drishti Marine lifesavers were actively engaged across the coastal belt, carrying out approximately 22 rescues between Saturday and Sunday. The incidents involved both domestic and international visitors facing difficulties in the water.
At Candolim beach, the weekend was marked by a concerning injury. A woman tourist from Kazakhstan suffered a deep cut on her feet after stepping on a broken bottle left in the sand. Lifesavers promptly administered first aid at the scene. In a separate incident at the same beach, a girl from Moscow, struggling in the water, was successfully brought to safety using a rescue tube.
Multiple Rescues from Baga to Arambol
Baga beach reported two single rescues. One involved a man from Karnataka, who was aided with a rescue tube, while a Russian tourist required a jet ski to be brought back to shore. The Calangute stretch saw a father and daughter from Delhi being rescued. Separately, a teenager from Uttar Pradesh and two men from Noida were also saved from the waters there.
Further north, the situation was similarly active. At Arambol, a Russian tourist was rescued from about 50 metres into the sea. Morjim beach witnessed a triple rescue operation where three individuals—two men from Delhi and a Russian woman—were brought to safety simultaneously.
First Aid and Missing Children Cases
Beyond water rescues, lifeguards provided crucial first aid for other mishaps. A person received treatment for a leg injury at Ashwem beach, while another was treated for a jellyfish sting at Miramar. In South Goa, two tourists from Bihar were rescued at Velsao.
At Colva, a woman from Bengaluru was rescued after she drifted out to sea. The lifeguards also successfully traced two missing children: a three-year-old girl from Ponda and a seven-year-old child from Benaulim, reuniting them with their families.
Rip Currents Pose Significant Danger
Agonda beach highlighted a common yet dangerous coastal phenomenon. Lifesavers conducted rip current rescues involving tourists from Pune, Mumbai, and Andhra Pradesh. Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that can pull swimmers away from the shore, and they are a leading cause of beach rescues worldwide.
The series of incidents over the weekend underscores the importance of swimming only in zones demarcated by lifeguards and heeding safety flags and warnings on Goa's beaches, regardless of one's swimming proficiency.
