Four new lifeguards for people with reduced mobility on Almuñécar beaches

The councillor for beaches, Lucía González, said, "We realised that often the person accompanying a person with reduced mobility could not take care of being with them in the water." Until now, the lifeguards have been helping with the amphibious chair, but that was as far as it went.

These professionals will not be stationary at a single point on the coast, but will move around the five main lifeguard posts: La Herradura, San Cristóbal, Puerta del Mar, Velilla and Marina del Este, although in this last place the councillor acknowledges that it will have to be evaluated whether it makes sense, given that the steep slope of this beach means that the demand for people with reduced mobility is lower.

The service will be adapted day by day according to demand. "We have seen that San Cristóbal and Puerta del Mar are where there is most demand although we also want Velilla to be covered according to need," González explained.

The service will be managed by appointment and each lifeguard post has its own contact telephone number, a system already used to book the amphibious chair. The person concerned calls, books their time slot and makes sure that there will be someone waiting for them when they arrive at the beach. González also mentions the possibility that hotels or organisations that manage trips for people with reduced mobility can request the service.

Before the season starts, the council plans to meet with associations of people with disabilities to fine-tune the details of the service and hear first-hand how they think it should work. "We want to know what they need, how it is most useful to them," says the councillor.

The five beaches certified with the blue flag already have the necessary equipment for a person with reduced mobility to access the water: amphibious chair, amphibious crutches and transfer crane. There is at least one amphibious chair of this type in each stall, both for adults and children, although the town hall can increase this number according to demand. In San Cristóbal, a new shaded area has also been set up this year, next to the walkway and the access platform that were already installed.

The lifeguard season will start on 23 June and operate until 10 September and the timetable will vary according to the season: in June and September, the lifeguards will be at their posts from 12pm to 6pm and in July and August the timetable will be extended until 8pm.