Aspiring lifeguards fail swim test

Goa's beaches are big draw for tourists [Pics: Frederick Noronha]

Officials in India's best known foreign tourist destination, Goa, are having a tough time finding lifeguards.

They advertised in October for 100 lifeguards to man Goa's famous beaches which have been gaining notoriety recently for a spate of drownings.

But of the 129 applicants who appeared for a swimming test, only one managed to pass.

Officials say some 50 tourists have drowned in the choppy seas there since the beginning of this year.

Ability to swim

"We follow very stringent parameters for recruitment of lifeguards," managing director of the Goa Tourism Development Corporation, Sanjit Rodrigues, told the BBC.

He says the candidates are tested on the basis of their education, age and physical fitness. They also have to take a swimming and running test.

Cheap hotels and budget flights draw many tourists

"First of all we test the applicants for their ability to swim fast. The candidates have to clock 400 metres in nine minutes. Only one of the applicants managed it," Mr Rodrigues said.

But the tourism department hasn't written off the others. Up to 80 of the other aspirants will be given another chance.

Mr Rodrigues says they will be put through a six-week Surf Life Saving Technique course to improve their swimming speed.

"We don't mind waiting a little longer for the international quality lifeguards," he said.

The tourism board has also been planning to recruit women lifeguards, but so far no woman has come forward to apply for the job.

Mr Rodrigues refuses to speculate on the reason why there are no applications from women but, he says, the tourism department "will keep trying and break the mould".

Goa is famous for its sun washed beaches and trippy raves the world over. And tourism is its biggest money-spinner.

But officials are concerned over the spate of drowning deaths.

'Go berserk'

In August, six tourists drowned on a single day, prompting the local high court to take notice of the matter and asking the authorities what they were doing to prevent such accidents.

In the past four years, over 200 people, mostly tourists, have drowned in the sea off Goa's famous beaches.

Locals say most of the deaths occur during the monsoons when the tourist traffic traditionally abates.

But tourists from all over India have begun pouring in even during the off peak season in recent years thanks to fat discounts offered by local hotels and affordable travel on budget airplanes.

Locals say a lot of these tourists seem to "go berserk" on the rain drenched beaches and often swim out into the choppy sea.

These tourists often ignore warnings from the lifeguards.

Even those who cannot swim or are ignorant of the treacherous currents turn boisterous after downing the freely available alcohol and jump into the sea.

In some cases, lifeguards, who are far outnumbered by tourists, are assaulted by tourists for trying to stop them from going into the sea.