When Texans and tourists head to the beaches of South Padre Island for some fun in the sun, they are usually on the lookout for the common dangers - jellyfish, riptides or even sharks. But what many do not realize is that South Padre Island, home to some of the most popular beaches in the United States, is experiencing a vast shortage of properly trained lifeguards.
According to The Dallas Morning News, South Padre Island and Cameron County officials say lifeguards are too expensive and too much of a liability. Cameron County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa estimated setting up lifeguards on the 10 miles of coast in Cameron County would cost at least $1 million, and the county does not have that kind of money in its budget. However, not having lifeguards could result in an even larger expense for South Padre.
South Padre Island serves more than 3.5 million overnight guests per year and is among the top spring break destinations for Americans, especially college students. It consists of more than 13.5 miles of city and county beaches, and brings in tens of millions of dollars in revenue from tourists, especially during spring break and summer. Despite this, South Padre Island beaches still do not have lifeguards.
Last year, seven people drowned in the Gulf waters off the coast of South Padre. This alone should alert officials to the obvious fact professional lifeguards are needed. City and county employees, the Coast Guard and even innocent bystanders have had to jump in and save people from drowning. This should not be happening and could result in even more fatalities if something is not done soon.
Officials have taken measures to compensate for the lack of lifeguards. In May, flags and signs were set up explaining the flag system at beach entry points, the Morning News reported. Red is for dangerous conditions, yellow is for moderate conditions, and blue alerts visitors to the presence of dangerous marine life. Texas park rangers check twice a day to determine water conditions and then post a flag accordingly. While this system has been set up with good intentions, how much of a real safeguard is it? People often ignore or simply do not notice these types of warnings, and if this happens in South Padre, drowning deaths could become an all-too-common horror.
County officials are also planning to use the Internet and radio to notify people about water conditions and to teach children about water safety by taking coloring books and videos to schools. These are all helpful and worthy methods, but having lifeguards would be the most foolproof measure of all.
Professional, fully-trained lifeguards are a necessity to the beaches of South Padre Island for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, lifeguards would most likely lessen the occurrence of drowning fatalities and further ensure the safety of all beach-goers. People go to the beach to have fun and relax. City and county officials should provide lifeguards as a courtesy to all visitors because they bring business and revenue to the island.
Another reason lifeguards are needed is because it is not the responsibility of the Coast Guard or that of beach-goers to rescue flailing swimmers. They should not have to be on constant alert and risk their own lives. According to the Morning News, the Coast Guard responded to 79 calls for struggling swimmers in 2001. It was able to rescue 25, and the remaining 54 either saved themselves by swimming to shore or were rescued by beach workers or beach-goers. As Robert Brown, a Coast Guard firefighter told the Morning News, "it gets real risky because one person goes down, then everybody goes to try and save them."
Lifeguards are trained to deal with panicked, drowning people - ordinary beach-goers are not. One person drowning could pull down those trying to save them, resulting in an even bigger tragedy.
City and county officials have taken steps in the right direction with the limited means they have. However, they should seriously consider the employment of professional lifeguards. Perhaps they should work with business and hotel owners to lessen the cost and make this possible. This would assist in protecting the safety and happiness of all beach-goers, which should be the top priority for all involved.
Franck writes for The Battalion, student newspaper of Texas A&M
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