It is 9am as Ruben and Bruno begin their work as lifeguards at the beach of Monte Clérigo. Ruben opens a simple wooden hut and carries equipment to a location near the water. Meanwhile, Bruno strides up and down the beach inspecting the ocean and its currents. Yet the beach is empty, but latest at lunch time it will be well crowded. It is Saturday, so the salvadores expect local people to add to the already high number of tourists regularly coming to this place.

Bruno hoists a green flag indicating all visitors of the beach, that it is save to go swimming. Afterwards, he brings two red-yellow flags down to the waterfront in order to assign the exact section, where it is save to enter into the water. During the day, the characteristics of currents in the water will continuously change, so that the section, which is save for bathing, needs to be readjusted regularly. Bruno puts particular attention to the so-called rip currents. “Rip currents are specific water currents, which develop when the topology of offshore sandbanks builds channels in the water below its surface, providing means for the tide water to flow back into the ocean.” explains Bruno. “In those cases, the sea builds strong and long drawn-out currents, which can pull people swimming in the water out into the open sea. If bathers get caught by such currents, they usually make the mistake to try swim against such current towards the beach. However, this is a hopeless endeavor only leading to an entire exhaustion of the affected person. In case we recognize a person being caught by such rip current, we swim to him and help him leaving the current sideways.” Nevertheless, to prevent those situations to happen, Ruben puts up additional warning signs.

It is not necessarily the force of nature reflecting the biggest threat for the people at the beach. “Quite contrary! If you understand the currents in the water you can use them to float to the person in trouble without significant exertion.” clarifies Ruben. Moreover, it is unawareness and ignorance of some holidaymakers which are mentioned by most lifeguards as main reason for people getting into danger at the beach. “Quite some people overestimate their capabilities or don’t take our warnings serious.” explains Ruben. “Once, there was a tourist from Australia, who wanted to go swimming despite a red flag indicating no permission to do so. ‘I’m not afraid!’, she said.” laughs Bruno. “Luckily, we’ve been able to convince her to not go into the water that day.” However, such situations don’t always end that harmless. Ruben turns sad as he proceeds with the following story: „Despite being instructed several times, a man couldn’t be kept from entering the water – even though a strict prohibition was signaled. He was called out of the water three times. After that, the man waited until the lifeguards finished their workday and went swimming again.” Ruben’s gaze travels to the cliffs, that limit the beach on its southern side. “The next day, they found the man between the rocks. Dead.”

Praia de Odeceixe reflects one of the most prominent beaches in the Algarve. “At this beach, the currents of the ocean go along with the current from the river Ribeira de Seixe, opening out into the sea close to the beach.” explains Ricardo, who is working at this site. “Depending on the specific characteristics of tide and wind, this yields even more complex conditions at land as well as in the water.” Ricardo, similar to Ruben and Bruno, is one of over 5.400 lifeguards working in Portugal.

“There was a time in my life, where things didn’t develop very well and I finally decided to go swimming in the ocean every day in order to regain a clear head.” states Ricardo. “After a while, I thought, that working as a lifeguard could be just right for me and I started the corresponding education.”

The education consists of various lectures amounting to a total of 150 hours. Topics, such as laws and regulations, history of lifeguards and morphology of beaches are taught during a theoretical part, while the practical part teaches first-aid-, CPR- and general rescue-techniques. The final exam consists of a written as well as an oral test. Furthermore, the salvadores need to prove their physical strength by swimming a distance of 100m in less than 100 seconds as well as swimming a distance of 400m in less than 9:15 minutes. Finally, the exam requires to ‘rescue’ a dummy from the ground of a swimming pool.

Helena is a student working during her holidays at the Praia do Amado. She’s one of 14% female salvadores in Portugal. “Since several years, I’m playing water polo and hence feel very comfortable and safe in water. One day, a team member approached me asking, if I would be interested in becoming a lifeguard.” It is her first year as salvadora and she made already quite some experiences. Besides several injuries, it is the story of a mother, which yielded a lasting impression. ”Her kids went swimming, where after a while the mother lost sight of her children and asked for help. I went into the sea several times to search after the kids.” reports Helena “, but without any success. The mother became more and more distressed and finally threw herself to the ground screaming hysterically.” After a while, it turned out, that the children were drawn by the current further down the beach and had left the water at an easy place without suffering any harm. Even though everything had turned out all right, the mother continued to be in shock. “It seemed, as if she had stopped breathing.” continues Helena noticeably touched. “She couldn’t realize, that her two children were save. Just as I took a firm grip with my arms around her, I could help the mother out of her situation.”

Latest with this kind of events, respect and appreciation for the job of the lifeguards increases significantly – in particular by the persons affected. It could then happen, that a father shows up in person to thank the lifeguards choked with tears for the rescue of his two girls. ‘They both are the only thing I have!’ This for sure is touching. “Sometimes it is just the grateful look of a rescuee, which proves me, how important my work is”, admits Ricardo and continues with the story of another rescue: “There was a little girl being caught by a rip current. With every meter the girl was drawn away from the beach, her despair increased visibly. The current took the child towards sharp-edged rocks sticking out of the water, but changed directions in the very last moment and pulled her out into the open sea. I could sense her agony. I swam as fast as I could to the little girl. In the moment, that I grabbed her, I could feel, how her panic dissolved instantly and the kid again relaxed. Together we could swim back to the beach.” Ricardo looks at the sea. This event will remain in his memory for long time.

“Feeling responsible!“, replies Fabio from Praia da Arrifana to the question, what he considers most important to become a talented lifeguard. “Most visitors lay off their responsibilities at the entrance to the beach, as they consider this area to be safe.” he proceeds. “Sometime parents sleep in the sand, leaving their children unattended in the water.” “Or they just go to the beach bar”, adds his colleague, whose name is also Bruno. In principle, each lifeguard is responsible for a section of fifty meters and the size of the bathing zones are adopted to this rule. But in particular at long-stretched beaches, such as Praia da Arrifana, which is supervised by three lifeguards, the salvadores can’t and won’t limit their responsibilities to 50 meters only. A personal dilemma between regulations and personal standards.

„In addition you should be able to read body language.“ explains Bruno further. “Not everyone, who steps into the water is capable of swimming or surfing. You’ll easily find out, who you should keep an eye on.”

Sometimes it also requires a considerable amount of empathy. “It may well happen, that someone in trouble sends you back again”, reports Fabio slightly shamefaced. Too big is the embarrassment being brought back again to the beach by a lifeguard. Moreover, the person in trouble tries to escape the situation by his own strength. “Only when these people are fully exhausted, they are open to accept help.”

Most of the lifeguards are familiar since their childhood with the sea and its changing conditions. They understand the nature of waves, wind, currents and tide. Also Nicolas from Paia da Amoreira grew up close to the sea side – but not in the Algarve, rather than in Argentina. Before he came to Portugal, he worked already one year as lifeguard in Brazil. “In Brazil we had two-story shelters located at the beach!” enthuses Nicolas over his earlier working conditions. Here, at the Praia da Amoraira the lifeguards share a shelter with a local surfboard rental. His colleague Luis is working as lifeguard since 1993 and by that a kind of veteran among the salvadores. “In the early years we built our shelters from all kind of material, that we found at the beach. Sometimes quite some strange buildings!” he adds with a laugh. The lifeguards are equipped with a rescue tube, a life buoy called “torpedo”, a lifebelt, a rescue board, flippers, a rope winch and a sunshade. Together with the surf shops on the beach, the on-site restaurants take over the payments of the salvadores. The corresponding local governments and authorities do not fund any service of the lifeguards. This is even more remarkable, as the tourism industry in Portugal has developed to an important commercial sector of this country over the recent years – also given to the fact, that the beaches enjoy a high reputation concerning their level of safety. Luis would wish at least more education by the government. “In Portugal the cost line and the sea reflect a big part of the country. When I was a child, people were educated with brochures, cartoons and movies about the proper behaviors in these areas.” he explains. “The constantly increasing number of tourists make such measures important more than ever.”

The next day Ruben will enjoy his day off. Is he – after six long working days – desperately waiting for it to come? “Not necessarily.” he responses. “I love my work. After all, I’m having the most beautiful office in the world!” he proceeds with a big smile on his face. “For me it’s like being in paradise.”

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