Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: More than one domestic tourist was rescued from drowning every day along Goa’s coastline in 2025, underscoring the vital role played by Drishti Marine lifesavers across the state’s beaches and waterfronts.
Throughout the year, 450 Indian nationals — including domestic tourists and Goan residents — and 98 foreign nationals were rescued, taking the total number of water-based rescues to 548 out of 614 reported incidents. Several of these incidents involved multiple victims.
“In 2025, lifesavers assisted 829 victims through interventions that went beyond water-based rescues, including locating missing children, returning lost articles, preventing thefts, and administering first aid in cases of suspected fractures, heat exhaustion, jellyfish stings, cuts, dehydration and cardiac emergencies,” said Navin Awasthi, CEO of Drishti Marine.
Among foreign nationals, Russians topped the list with 56 rescues, followed by 13 visitors from the United Kingdom. Domestically, tourists from neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka accounted for the highest number of rescues along Goa’s beaches and at the popular Dudhsagar waterfalls.
The busy Baga–Sinquerim beach stretch recorded the highest number of water-based rescues and related beach incidents, including cases of missing children and first aid administration.
In North Goa, Calangute (103), Baga (68), Sinquerim (61) and Candolim (58) recorded the highest number of beach-related incidents requiring lifesaver intervention in 2025. In South Goa, Colva (55), Palolem (50), Mobor (38) and Agonda (35) emerged as the most incident-prone beaches.
Monthly trends revealed clear seasonal spikes in rescue operations, influenced by weather conditions, holiday weekends and tourism fluctuations. October recorded the highest number of incidents requiring lifesaver intervention (67), coinciding with the post-monsoon reopening of beaches and the onset of the tourist season. December, traditionally Goa’s busiest tourism month, logged the highest overall volume of beach incidents, reflecting peak footfall during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Children and young adults formed a significant proportion of those assisted. Of the missing-person cases handled during the year, 97 involved minors who had wandered away from family members on crowded beaches.
Lifesavers administered first aid to 110 victims for injuries such as cuts from broken glass, stingray bites and stray dog bites. In 2025, 12 stray dog bite incidents were reported on the state’s beaches, requiring immediate medical attention.
Among individual beaches, Calangute recorded the highest number of incidents in North Goa with 85 cases, while Colva topped South Goa with 52 incidents. At the other end of the spectrum, Dona Paula in North Goa reported just one rescue in 2025, while Cola and Zalor beaches in South Goa also recorded a single rescue each — the lowest in their respective districts.
The figures highlight both the scale of beach tourism in Goa and the growing demand placed on coastal safety and emergency response systems.
