Surf zone-related drownings and injuries based on lifeguard records in Goa beaches (2008-2020)

The study is based on lifeguard data from 44 Goa beaches over a period of 2008-2020; a total of 4837 surf zone injury (SZI) cases were analyzed. Calangute reported the highest SZIs with 24.63% followed by Baga and Candolim in the North Goa. In South Goa, Colva recorded the highest percentage of beach victims with 18.25%. Since Goa beaches are world famous, many tourists from foreign countries have become victims with a total percentage of 22.2%, thereby showing its importance to the global community. Out of all Indian states, Karnataka recorded nearly 21.93% cases as compared to Goa with 13.53%. Since there is a stringent lifeguard system available at Goa beaches, the drowning percentage is just 2.86%. Rips are found to be the primary cause responsible for most cases accounting for 59.32% with nearly 3030 victims. The secondary cause is due to shore breaking. The most common injury type is a fracture of the legs which accounts for 8.02%. Apart from rip current related cases, there are other cases reported due to tourism activities. Out of all recreational activities, wading resulted in more number of SZIs with 19.61% followed by surfing and body boarding. The SZI-related cases have also been examined based on age and gender. The predominant age group involved in the injuries was between 19 and 25 years (36.33%) with the majority of victims being males (78.59%). Few rip currents outbreak events with large number of victims rescued at Baga and Calangute beaches have been studied using multi-temporal high-resolution satellite imageries and able to identify dangerous hot spots. These details give an idea of which regions along the beaches management have to focus on and restrict the zones from any kind of recreational activities. This analysis is the first of its kind in India, where a detailed study is carried on based on lifeguard reports, suggesting the importance of rescue or drowning data.

Automated summary

This study analyzed 4837 surf zone injury (SZI) cases from 44 Goa beaches between 2008 and 2020. Calangute reported the highest percentage of SZIs at 24.63%, followed by Baga and Candolim in North Goa. For South Goa, Colva had the highest percentage of beach victims at 18.25%. The study highlights the importance of rescue and drowning data for beach management.