PANJIM: With moderate to heavy rains expected to lash various parts of Goa over the next few days, Drishti Marine, the State-appointed professional lifeguard agency has issued a monsoon advisory instructing visitors to the beach not to venture into the sea from June till the end of September.
The State government shuts down the beaches for swimming and all water sports activities during the monsoon months from June to August each year, as the sea during this season tends to be extremely rough and choppy.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heavy rainfall with high speed winds is likely to occur at isolated places over North and South Goa. Owing to the oncoming monsoons and the present weather conditions, red flags have been posted across all beaches under Drishti’s surveillance indicating that these are strictly non-swim zones.
“Pre-monsoon showers have already hit Goa. Over the past few days light showers were witnessed along the coastal stretch. We have put up red flags at all the beaches, which mean that the area is not meant for swimming. Curfew is currently still on in Goa, so we advise visitors not to venture onto the beach. Even wading into the waters is not advisable. Our team of lifesavers present along the coast is monitoring the weather conditions. The team is trained to carry out rescues even in rough weather,” said Navin Awasthi, Operations Head, Drishti Marine.
Drishti has also advised visitors to avoid rocky areas, cliffs and hills on the shoreline. These are very slippery during monsoon season and also wave height, intensity and frequencies are very high and one can easily get washed out. All rocky areas around the fort areas in Anjuna, Vagator and Tiracol are out of bounds during monsoons.
