Paphos Life

The beach in Kissonerga where most of the rescues have taken place


RAINERS from the association of Paphos lifeguards are appealing to the public to step forward in a drive to urgently train up more lifeguards to fill the shortfall in numbers.

There are currently 71 lifeguards manning the districts beaches, but 123 are urgently required, according to officials, and should have been in place from June 1.

A spokesman for the association said: “This was not possible in Paphos as not enough people are qualified yet. They have to undertake special training with us and then take an exam to gain their diploma,” he said.

From the start of the 2018 ‘season’, between April 2nd to April 5, the district had 54 lifeguards on duty, a further 17 were added on April 5, said the spokesman.

This move was part of Interior Minister Constantinos Petrides, national beach safety plan, ‘Salamis’, the first of its kind, and outlines jurisdictions, lifeguard’s duties and responsibilities, their working hours and coordination.

“We are really grateful to the minister, he understands the challenges we face and has been a great help and support to the lifeguards, as has commodore Constantinos Fytiris, the chief of the joint rescue coordination centre and Paphos district officer, Mary Lambrou,” he said.

However, there just aren’t enough trained and registered lifeguards in the district at the moment, he said.

A recent group of around twenty trainees will receive their diplomas in a few days, and on Monday the next group started their training. The lessons involve learning how to correctly save someone from the sea, first aid, strengthening swimming abilities and so on, he said.

In two weeks’ time, another month-long lifeguard training programme will get underway and people should register an interest now.

“They can be any age from 18 and up and must be fit, good swimmers and know about first aid,” Mathaios Matheou, one of ten lifeguard approved trainers in the district of Paphos told the Cyprus Mail.

The lifeguard association said that there is a huge need to provide the necessary protection for the district’s beaches and that they have already undertaken twenty lifesaving sea rescues since the season started, as well as a number of other incidents.

“Most of these happened at Sandy beach in Kissonerga, where waves are high and currents are strong,” said Matheou.


Paf17- Kostas Tontorof and Christodoulos Christodoulou


The spokesman praised the three-man lifeguard team of Nectarios Papasokratous,Kostas Tontorof and Christodoulos Christodoulou stationed at this tower, ‘Paf 17’, where the most rescues have taken place.

“Nectarios is 46 and was in the Cyprus Navy Special Forces. He is a very strong swimmer and won awards for his swimming. He has performed most of these rescues on his own using a rescue tube and flippers. It shows how much the lifeguards are needed.”

Most of the rescues have been of Russian tourists under 40 years old, but a number have also been of locals too, he said.

“We also hope to have at least 14 lifeguards in place at the popular beaches of the district of Paphos for eleven months of the year as there are many winter swimmers. This is our aim,” he said.

For further information please contact- Paphos lifeguards association ‘Kinyras’ on Facebook :- Ναυαγοσωστικός ‘Ομιλος “Κινυρας” Πάφου


https://cyprus-mail.com/2018/06/12/call ... in-paphos/