Lifeguards on the beaches of Haifa What you didn't know about the work of the lifeguards

The work of the rescuers is Sisyphean work, difficult, requiring concentration and sacrifice, sometimes even at the expense of their health. We all know the lifeguards, years ago we would hear their calls from the old megaphone, their whistles and instructions, but you should know that there is a very good reason for all of this.

I have a deep familiarity with the work of the lifeguards, since 30 years ago, being one of their lecturers for enrichment. Every year before the start of the bathing season, I would come to lecture them on various topics related to the sea and it was always a pleasure to meet these good people and enjoy the tremendous knowledge they demonstrated back then and certainly still today, when it comes to the sea. Starting with their deep knowledge of the waves, the currents and the various sea conditions, and ending with their familiarity with the animals in the sea, the dangerous ones, as well as those that are not.

"Only that the working day ends in peace"

The behavior of the sea changes its new face in the mornings, when it is known for its moods, its instability and its never-ending strength, the rescuers are the ones who know it in an admirable way.

The responsibility placed on the shoulders of the lifeguards is enormous, their eyes scan the sea area and focus on each and every bather, which is not easy to do at all, especially during the summer, on vacations and on the weekends, when the beaches are packed to the point of exhaustion with bathers seeking to cool themselves in the cool water.

It is not an easy job to look for 12 consecutive hours at the shiny sea in the blazing sun, while taking responsibility for masses of bathers, and hoping that the workday will end without casualties.

"The sea is not the same sea"

It is worth noting that today the sea "is not what it used to be". The climate has "gone mad", and if there used to be more or less understandable patterns of sea behavior that could be identified, these are no longer valid today, after climate change. If in previous years, at the end of August, the sea tended to calm relatively, northern winds would come, the temperatures would drop and the conditions would become more favorable, things that would have made lifeguards' work a little easier, (of course it is easier to watch over bathers when the sea is calm and less wavy) today it is no longer so.

And there is also the "Israeli character"

And if we recall for a moment the "Israeli character" (for those who managed to forget for a moment), about its advantages and disadvantages, then we are talking about many bathers whose natural tendency is not necessarily to obey instructions, so that many times the lifeguards are forced to act as "educators of the people", just out of their ambition to protect the bathers.

inrush currents

Being a lifeguard nowadays is much more difficult, also due to the extreme changes in the weather that we mentioned, but these changes also cause a proliferation of rip currents, which are often mistakenly called "eddies". They are the ones that claim most human lives.

The use of the inclusive name "eddies" is inaccurate. As mentioned, most of the drownings are because of these hacking currents, when on the signs on the beaches in the world and in Israel, there are warnings about them. This is also the reason why the lifeguards move the location of the flags from time to time, and demarcate the bathing area, thus keeping the bathers away and protecting them from the dangerous currents.

Disasters are prevented before they occur

"Almost drowning" incidents occur on the beaches, which are prevented on a daily basis by the lifeguards. In my work, I witnessed quite a number of "almost drownings" as well as actual drownings, which were documented by me and prevented by the lifeguards. Know that most of these cases are not reported at all, so much of the work that rescuers do is done under the radar, without us being aware of the small and important details behind it.

The work of lifeguards also often involves significant risks. One of the reported risks is lifeguards tripping into pits while running for the rescue operation. This can include fractures, sprains, back injuries due to rescuing a heavy drowning person, etc.

Lifeguards' aid to science

Another thing you should know is that researchers in Israel and around the world have always relied on the reports of lifeguards. Even today, when researchers arrive at a place they are not familiar with, they will find out details about it from the local residents, and regarding the sea, they will get a lot of information from the rescuers.

In the case of the Haifa and Kiryat lifeguards, they were of help to influential professors and people of science and nature in the field of marine research, when they often provided them with information about animals and natural phenomena related to the sea.

The rescuers know

To this very day, and I am speaking here from my personal experience only, I am assisted by lifeguards in Haifa and throughout the country, as a reliable source of information regarding the distribution of marine animals and the appearance of unknown fish on Israel's shores. So that the details of the information that reach us from the experienced lifeguards, at the end of day, also contribute greatly to the understanding of the sea and help in the frequent monitoring of new animals that appear in the area.

In the photos before you, only a limited number of information that came to me from rescuers, in the form of species of Abu Nafha fish, zahroons, dragons, jellyfish of various species and more. Just about a year ago, Zahron was prevented from harming several children, very close to the beach, within the range of the lifeguard's vision, who immediately got down from the sukkah, collected Zahron in a bucket and called me to come pick him up.

Could have ended differently...

Without the attention of the rescuers, this case and many others, could have ended differently - in evacuation to the hospital. So both in Haifa and in Kiryat, I receive many reports of various accidents, from the mouths of the rescuers.

I would emphasize that the work of the rescuers is much more complex than one might think. They are constantly engaged in the prevention of drownings and various injuries, with the help of their knowledge in identifying and predicting in advance potentially dangerous situations.

Saving lives, simple as that

From their point of view from the top of the tower, the lifeguards see situations that we cannot see from below and from the sea, they are also able to correctly interpret what they see and warn the bathers of dangers, even before they arrive and thus prevent a disaster.

On this occasion, we will remind you: enter the water only on beaches where lifeguards are present and always make sure to listen to their instructions. Believe me, they know what they are talking about and they save lives, literally.