Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa’s government-appointed lifesaving agency, Drishti Marine, has relaunched its guided sea-swimming initiative, Sagar Safar, a hands-on community programme aimed at helping locals and tourists build ocean confidence and understand essential water-safety practices.
Conducted daily at 11 am and 4 pm, the sessions are held across six popular beaches—Baga, Calangute, Sinquerim and Candolim in North Goa, and Benaulim and Colva in South Goa. The hour-long guided experience offers participants the chance to swim alongside trained lifesavers, learn about sea conditions, understand currents and flags, and familiarise themselves with safety protocols to help reduce drowning incidents along Goa’s coastline.
Participants can enrol directly with lifesavers posted at the beaches, while live multilingual announcements via the Aurus AI-bot will alert beachgoers about upcoming sessions. QR codes displayed at lifeguard towers and on Drishti Marine vehicles will direct users to the Sagar Safar website for more details.
Originally launched in 2021 as ‘Swim With Lifesavers’, the initiative has been revived and expanded after receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from earlier participants, many of whom described the experience as both exhilarating and reassuring—especially for first-time swimmers and visitors unfamiliar with sea behaviour.
Drishti Marine CEO Navin Awasthi said the revival of the programme aligns with the organisation’s mission to save lives and encourage responsible interaction with the ocean.
“Through Sagar Safar, we aim to create a stronger relationship between people and the sea. The idea is to help them appreciate the ocean, but also respect its power. Our lifesavers guide participants through safe swimming techniques, explain flag colours and demonstrate how to identify rip currents. The goal is simple — to ensure that every person who enters the water does so with awareness and confidence,” Awasthi said.
Each Sagar Safar session begins with a safety briefing, followed by a guided swim with buoyancy aids and life jackets, and concludes with a short debrief on sea behaviour. The programme also helps participants connect with the state’s lifesaving force, fostering respect for the professionals who safeguard the coastline.
The sessions will continue throughout the year, except during the monsoon months when swimming is prohibited due to rough sea conditions.
