Shashikant Jadhav, a 38-year-old lifeguard and operations manager with Drishti Marine — a private agency tasked by the Goa Government to curb incidents of drowning off the state’s beaches — remembers what inspired him to get into the profession.
Speaking to The Better India, he recalls, “Although I’m from Raigad district, Maharashtra, I grew up in a small village in South Goa. Visiting the beach nearby, I fell in love with it and learnt how to swim in the sea with my friends. But I also saw many people drowning in the sea and that left a real impression on me. Growing up, I wanted a job where I could save people’s lives.”
Before Drishti Marine was operational in 2008, Shashikant was a lifeguard working for another company contracted by the tourism department of the Goa Government.
“Earlier, there was little to no coordination in rescue efforts. There were times when the people in charge didn’t even know I had swam out into the sea to rescue someone. We didn’t even have proper equipment like a surfboard, walkie-talkie, lifeguard jeep, or jet-ski,” recalls Shashikant.
This lack of coordination, equipment, and professionalism was reflected in the lack of beach safety and the number of drowning deaths Goa saw. Matters came to a head in 2007 when the state unfortunately saw 200 people drown off the coastline, according to news reports.
As Rajiv Somani, founder and chairperson of Drishti Marine, notes, “Following the events of 2007, the State Government was prompted to take immediate measures and put together an efficient system to safeguard lives along beaches. One of the measures adopted by the State Government was to appoint a professional agency for enhancing beach safety.”
In 2008, Drishti Marine was tasked by the Goa Government to curb drowning incidents off the state’s beaches. Once it was awarded a contract to offer lifeguard services for the state, Shashikant was among the first lifeguards to join it.
“When I joined Drishti in July 2008, they put me through a 45-day training course where I learned the finer details of lifeguarding and how to use the new equipment given to us. There was a greater emphasis on safety here. In my previous job, we would get no backup during rescue efforts. Now, whenever we go out on a rescue, we are supported by jet skis, backup lifeguards, etc. Also, we receive continuous training and have reorientation sessions every year to keep up with the latest methods and technology,” says Shashikant.
Braving the waves: Goa’s Drishti Marine
The news of Drishti becoming the designated agency to provide lifeguard services also prompted Ashwin Ghag, a former national-level swimmer, to leave Pune for Goa in 2008.
“From 1999 to 2008, I worked as a swimming coach for children in Pune, after which I worked as a senior lifeguard. Before my swimming coach and lifeguard career, I was a national-level swimmer. I was inspired by my father to become a lifeguard. Watching him work as a lifeguard and save lives inspired me to become one,” recalls Ashwin, a 42-year-old senior lifeguard at Drishti Marine currently posted on the popular and crowded Calangute beach.
“While I was working in Pune, I heard about a new company in Goa offering lifeguarding services and that they needed lifeguards. Along with another senior lifeguard from Pune, I moved to Goa. Despite my skills, I had little experience of working on beaches. Working as a lifeguard in swimming pools, I knew how to use life-saving equipment. But I didn’t know how to use them in the sea due to my lack of experience working in these surroundings,” he adds.
The first thing Ashwin learnt after joining Drishti was how much more stamina a lifeguard requires to swim into a massive water body like the Arabian Sea and rescue someone.
“While saving someone from drowning in a swimming pool, you are working in a confined space with four corners no matter its size. You know exactly where to jump in, save the person and drop them off at any given edge of the pool. In the sea, you can only save someone by taking them back one way. It’s not a confined space. Another thing I learnt about were rip currents — strong and narrow currents that can pull you into the water,” says Ashwin.
Today, Drishti Marine is the designated first responder for any beach-related emergency, including cases of marine strandings. Since its inception, Rajiv claims that its 450-plus strong force of ‘lifesavers’ (lifeguards) has saved about 7,700 people from drowning off Goa’s coastline.
Patrolling Goa’s shores and saving lives
Beaches in Goa are divided into zones: swim areas marked by red and yellow flags, no-swim zones by red flags, and watersport areas by black-and-white flags. High-footfall beaches have dedicated lifesaver towers offering a clear vantage point.
As Rajiv elaborates, “Swim zones are continuously monitored by lifesavers equipped with binoculars, jet skis, spine boards, surfboards, and rescue tubes. When a person in distress is spotted off the beach, the on-duty lifesaver notifies other lifesavers via radio. The rescue team rushes to assist the person in distress, alerts backup to call an ambulance, and accompanies the rescued individual to the hospital for evaluation.”
“Lifesaver towers are stocked with emergency medical equipment — such as first aid kits, spine boards, surfboards, rescue boards, rescue tubes, handheld radio sets, bag valve masks to assist in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and Automated External Defibrillator (A.E.D.) machines. The official beach jeeps are on standby to transport patients or distressed individuals to nearby health facilities or ambulances. Lifesavers are also trained in first aid to provide immediate assistance during medical emergencies,” he adds.
“Working in Calangute beach, I do approximately 30 rescues a month because there is always a large crowd present there. Rescues usually happen between an approximate range of 30 to 50 metres into the sea [from the shoreline]. Away from the shoreline at Calangute Beach, we encounter a lot of rip currents. When a tourist encounters a rip current by swimming too far from the shore, they panic because the water is pulling them into the sea,” explains Ashwin.
How are the heroes behind the rescues chosen?
Men and women between the ages of 18 and 30 years who know swimming and are committed to saving victims are eligible to become Drishti lifesavers, notes Rajiv.
“Our hiring checklist includes thorough physical tests, interviews, reference checks, and police verification. The physically demanding nature of a lifesaver requires that men and women who apply should possess a high degree of physical fitness and our training team does the rest. Every lifesaver must be capable of swimming 400 metres in under 11 minutes. They need to quickly assess the capabilities and risks of individuals involved in aquatic activities, follow on-site protocols, and provide emergency medical services when required,” says Rajiv.
Rajiv goes on to claim, “Drishti’s 450-strong lifesaver team undergoes a rigorous annual refresher course to maintain and improve their emergency response skills, physical fitness, and communication abilities. The training includes CPR, first aid, beach operations, jet ski use, rescue equipment handling, and various rescue techniques. In addition to lifesaving skills, they also receive training in leadership and soft skills to effectively manage public interactions.”
Lifesavers must complete annual training to retain their certification and remain eligible for duty. This programme, conducted across both Goan districts, is organised by the Special Rescue Training Academy (SRTA), affiliated with the National Skill Development Council, Skill India programme, and Surf Educators International of Australia.
Drishti also announced the induction of women lifesavers on their team in March 2021.
Lifeguards, canine heroes, and AI technology leading beach safety in Goa
Besides the standard equipment they are given, Drishti Marine has also employed dogs to assist them in their rescue and monitoring efforts.
As Rajiv claims, “Drishti Marine has also introduced the first of its kind initiative in Asia — expertly trained dogs called ‘Paw Squad’ — to bolster their rescue efforts. These dogs, accompanied by their handlers are trained in patrolling and detecting people in distress. Drishti Marine lifesavers are also the first responders to any marine strandings and are trained in accordance with the Wildlife Protection Act of India.”
The agency has also integrated ‘advanced technology’ to enhance the efforts of their lifeguards.
“Our sister concern, Drishti Works, has developed AURUS — a self-driving, AI-powered robot that patrols non-swim zones, provides logistical support, and assists lifesavers in making public safety announcements in multiple languages. It works alongside TRITON — an AI-driven monitoring system that offers comprehensive beach surveillance, spots tourists in distress in the water over long distances, and aids lifesavers in emergencies. Both AURUS and TRITON are currently deployed at Miramar beach in Panaji and operated by our ‘tech lifesavers’,” he says.
Inside the lives and challenges of Goa’s lifeguards
Since Drishti Marine became the custodian of beach safety in Goa in 2008, their lifeguards have rescued over 7,700 people, including locals, and domestic, and international tourists, claims Rajiv.
“They are also trained responders for marine life strandings, working closely with the Forest Department and NGOs focused on marine welfare. A recent notable rescue occurred over the Independence Day weekend earlier this year when Drishti lifesavers (lifeguards) rescued nine fishermen after their boat capsized off Rajbagh Beach in South Goa, demonstrating their ability to handle mass rescues in extreme conditions,” he goes on to add.
Despite the professional training that the Drishti lifeguards receive, which saves them from many dangers associated with saving people from drowning at sea, the challenges they encounter are real.
As Shashikant notes, “When people are drowning, they panic. When you directly engage with a victim of drowning, there is always the danger that they’ll drag you into the water with them.”
He adds, “As lifeguards, we are told to first deploy a rescue tube or board, which the person drowning can hold on to, turn them towards the shore, clear up their airways, and push them towards the shore. But on occasions you come across drunk people who have swam too far off shore and it’s hard to get them to hold on to the rescue tube or board. With drunk people, we try to identify as many of them as possible and send out teams to evacuate them from the beach itself, or push them as far as away as possible from the shoreline.”
Ashwin, who claims to have done 484 rescues to date, notes, “Despite having rescue equipment, a drowning person’s first instinct is to hold on to the rescuer because they’re in a state of panic. Also, there are occasions when the rip current is so strong that it takes six or seven people with it. This happens because one person tries to save the other but encounters strong rip currents. Handling these situations is challenging and you need more than one lifeguard and multiple equipment to save them. I was part of a rescue effort where we saved seven people at once.”
Ashwin also agrees that dealing with drunk people drowning at sea is challenging. “Some of them are so drunk that they don’t even realise that they have to get on top of a rescue board. Thanks to years of experience and training, we have learnt how to handle such situations. The trouble with drunk people is that sometimes they don’t have the strength to get their torso on top of the rescue board. We have to help them get on top of the surfboard,” he notes.
“However, before deploying the surfboard and pushing them up on the surfboard, we have to gauge the strength and movement of the waves and time our efforts properly. Now, if I jump into the water without timing it properly, the rescue board may get washed away onto the shore and then I have to push and carry the drowning person back without the rescue equipment. My job is to get the person who is drowning on top of the rescue board and drag them back to shore,” he adds.
Despite their training, Ashwin notes that there are occasions when the sea just overwhelms you with massive waves and strong currents. “Besides these rip currents, you are also dealing with strong plunging waves that roll over victims of drowning. On these occasions, victims are often dragged 200 to 400 metres away from the shoreline. As trained lifeguards, we know how to swim and navigate past these plunging waves and rip currents. For tourists, however, if they get rolled under these massive plunging waves, they end up taking in a lot of seawater. In these scenarios, we have to deploy jet skis to rescue them as quickly as possible,” he explains.
“If it’s a single-person rescue, we often use a rescue tube. If it’s more than one person, we use a surf/rescue board. But our fastest equipment are jet skis, and these are particularly useful during the monsoon season when the rip currents are strongest,” he adds.
Shashikant notes, “Another challenge we encounter is uncooperative tourists, especially from foreign countries. When they visit Goa for the first time and see the Arabian Sea, they get the impression that the waters here are calm. What they don’t realise is the power of strong rip currents in the Arabian Sea. Sometimes, we get into arguments with tourists and have to call the police to disperse them away from points where they can potentially drown.”
Despite their best efforts, however, there are rare occasions when people drown to death. How do lifeguards deal with this devastation? With a resigned look on, Shashikant says, “We are just human, and not gods. We do everything to save a life but sometimes God has other plans.”
“This is why lifesaving is more than just a job; it’s a calling,” says Rajiv.
But given the risks they undertake, what sort of monetary compensation and social security do their lifeguards receive?
“Typically, young lifesavers start their careers with a salary in the range of Rs 18,000 per month. Lifesavers in senior positions can earn up to Rs 1 lakh per month. Lifesavers are provided with legally mandated insurance policies, including workmen’s compensation, and medical insurance. Additionally, those who marry are eligible for benefits, such as LIC policies and fixed deposits for the couple. The organisation also offers a referral programme. Volunteers interested in pursuing lifesaving as a vocation are offered Rs 18,000 for a three-month assessment period,” he claims.
(Edited by Pranita Bhat; Images courtesy Drishti Marine)
