Tropical weekend: coastal lifeguards ask bathers to swim in supervised areas

“Not every lifeguard post on the coast is still manned after the summer holidays,” says An Beun of the Intercommunal Coastal Rescue Service West Flanders (IKWV).

A lot of people expected

Traditionally, many tourists descend on the coast when the weather is nice. That is also the expectation for next weekend. According to figures from Westtoer, the occupancy rate at the coastal hotels is 85 percent for the night from Friday to Saturday. On the night from Saturday to Sunday the occupancy rate is 90 percent. In recent days they have also recorded occupancy figures between 80 and 85 percent on the coast.

“Swim only in supervised areas”

However, the summer season has ended, which means that not every lifeguard post is still manned on the coast. “In every coastal municipality, at least one post is manned until September 17, but not all 83 posts as during the summer,” says Beun.

IKWV therefore calls on people to swim in supervised zones.

“There were already victims last summer who went swimming in unsupervised areas. Now there is an even larger unsupervised area, so extra caution is advised. The temptation may be great with this beautiful weather, but be sure to pay attention. It is for the own safety of the swimmers.”

IKWV also asks to be alert when it comes to lost children.

“There are still lost wristbands available. Keep a close eye on your children and speak to a rescuer if there are any problems.”

An overview of the manned posts can be found at ikwv.be/locations.