The study is based on lifeguard data from 44 Goa beaches over a period of 2008-2020. Calangute reported the highest Surf Zone Injury (SZI) cases with 24.63% followed by Baga and Candolim in the north Goa. In South Goa, Colva recorded the highest percentage of beach victims with 18.25%. Since, Goa beaches are world-famous, many tourists from foreign countries have become victims with a total percentage of 22.2%, thereby showing its importance to the global community. Out of all Indian states, Karnataka recorded nearly 21.93% cases as compared to Goa with 13.53%. Since, there is a stringent lifeguard system available at Goa beaches, the drowning percentage is just 2.86%. Rips are found to be the primary cause responsible for most cases accounting for 59.32% with nearly 3030 victims. The secondary cause is due to shore breaking. The most common injury type is a fracture of the legs which accounts for 8.02%. Apart from rip current related cases, there are other cases reported due to tourism activities. Out of all recreational activities, wading resulted in more number of SZIs with 19.61% followed by sur ng and body boarding. The SZI-related cases have also been examined based on age and gender. The predominant age group involved in the injuries was between 19-25 years (36.33%) with the majority of victims being males (78.59%). These details give an idea of which regions along the beaches, management has to focus on and restrict the zones from any kind of recreational activities. This analysis is the rst of its kind in India, where a detailed study is carried on based on lifeguard reports, suggesting the importance of rescue or drowning data.
The study is based on lifeguard data from 44 Goa beaches over a period of 2008–2020. Calangute reported the highest Surf Zone Injury (SZI) cases with 24.63% followed by Baga and Candolim in the north Goa. In South Goa, Colva recorded the highest percentage of beach victims with 18.25%. Since, Goa beaches are world-famous, many tourists from foreign countries have become victims with a total percentage of 22.2%, thereby showing its importance to the global community. Out of all Indian states, Karnataka recorded nearly 21.93% cases as compared to Goa with 13.53%. Since, there is a stringent lifeguard system available at Goa beaches, the drowning percentage is just 2.86%. Rips are found to be the primary cause responsible for most cases accounting for 59.32% with nearly 3030 victims. The secondary cause is due to shore breaking. The most common injury type is a fracture of the legs which accounts for 8.02%. Apart from rip current related cases, there are other cases reported due to tourism activities. Out of all recreational activities, wading resulted in more number of SZIs with 19.61% followed by surfing and body boarding. The SZI-related cases have also been examined based on age and gender. The predominant age group involved in the injuries was between 19–25 years (36.33%) with the majority of victims being males (78.59%). These details give an idea of which regions along the beaches, management has to focus on and restrict the zones from any kind of recreational activities. This analysis is the first of its kind in India, where a detailed study is carried on based on lifeguard reports, suggesting the importance of rescue or drowning data.
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