The 71-year-old lifeguard who cycles ten kilometres to work in Torrox

For the second summer running, he is working as a lifeguard along the Torrox coastline. “I’m the grandad of the group; I really enjoy my work and I learn a lot from the youngsters,” he explains while carrying out his duties on the town's Ferrara beach.

His age stands in stark contrast to that of most of his colleagues in the team. The young woman admits that it is unusual to find a lifeguard in his 70s working alongside people in their 20s and 30s. “I could be their grandfather; I give them advice and learn a lot from them, they’re fantastic people,” he says.

Born in Buenos Aires, he is an agricultural engineer and has lived in Spain since 1989. His first port of call was Galicia, where he worked for an agricultural and livestock company, before moving to Valladolid to join a seed firm and subsequently setting up his own business in this sector. In 2015, he settled permanently in Algarrobo-Costa, where he already owned a home and from where he maintains close ties with the Axarquía coast.

Sport has been a part of his life for practically his entire life. He played for the Argentinian national baseball team and has taken part in cycling, swimming and triathlon, as well as competing in numerous veterans’ events. This activity continues to form part of his daily routine: every morning he cycles the approximately ten kilometres from his home in Torrox-Costa before heading to work.

His shift runs from 11.30am to 8.30pm five days a week, but he insists he doesn’t find it particularly tiring. “I don’t get tired; it’s a pleasure. Being outdoors is my office,” he sums up. And when asked about retirement, he replies without hesitation: “At my age, I don’t want to retire, even though I could; I’m a very active person, I need to keep moving and this is the ideal job.”

The season has been relatively quiet, although the service has had to deal with a few medical emergencies. Lachica particularly recalls that, the day before the lifeguard operation began, two elderly people drowned in Torrox – an incident he cites to emphasise the importance of prevention. “We must be extremely cautious. Lifesaving and first aid are essential – they may go unnoticed, but they are a quiet way of saving lives,” he maintains.

His connection with this profession goes back a long way. As a young man, he worked in Argentina as a lifeguard, although his career eventually took him down other paths for decades. Three years ago, after having his qualifications recognised in Spain and also obtaining his boat skipper’s licence, he decided to return to lifeguarding. He first worked as a lifeguard at a hotel in Nerja and since last summer, has been employed by Provita to work on the beaches of Torrox.

And he doesn’t think this summer will be his last. “In winter I want to carry on working as a lifeguard in hotels; I know I could retire, but I don’t like that word and I’m not going to do it,” he says. Provita has also shared his story as an example of how age needn’t be a barrier to staying active, provided one retains the necessary physical fitness and training. The company highlights his exercise routine and his experience in surveillance and prevention.

Lachica is also part of a beach rescue team which last summer added an eye-catching canine water rescue unit. The team is led by trainer Miguel Sánchez-Merenciano and comprises dogs trained to assist with towing and rescuing people in distress. The initiative even attracted international attention, with coverage in media outlets such as CNN, CBC and Sky News.

The operation deployed along the Torrox coastline involves more than forty professionals, as well as boats, jet skis, vehicles, medical staff and, during peak periods, drones and dogs trained in rescue operations. Surrounded by much younger colleagues, Lachica will, in the meantime, continue to cycle for kilometres and patrol the beach with one thing in mind: he has no plans to retire just yet. “I really enjoy my work,” insists the lifeguard who, just a few months shy of his 72nd birthday, has made the great outdoors his own personal office.