As of yesterday the city of Tamarindo will no longer have lifeguards as they have all received their two weeks notice due to lack of funds.  This was one of the only beaches in the Guanacaste province to have lifeguards. 

The area is heavily dependent on travelers and is famous for its perfect waves.  For several months the association has been struggling to come up with the $6000 per month that the program runs off of.  They have asked the local hotels that rely on the lifeguards for their visitors stay for help, but there has been no response yet. 

The lifeguards on Tamarindo beach are responsible for numerous saves per day and 200 a month, on average.  They are there to warn the swimmers of the rocks and strong currents and save them if necessary.  Since the launch of the program, there has only been one daytime drowning.  Most beaches along the Pacific coast have strong currents and undertows that even a strong swimmer could not overcome. 

The program is looking into their last ditch efforts to save the program by researching other ways to save money, such as finding a less expensive office and cutting personal costs. 

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Filed under: Costa Rica News on August 30th, 2007