Lifeguards on Almuñécar beaches had to carry out four rescue operations on Playa San Cristóbal, owing to the high surf that was running yesterday.

Four bathers had to be pulled out of the water near the Peñones del Santo on the western side of the rocks.

Two of the people rescued were taken to the Centro Médico Municipal because they had swallowed so much seawater.

The other two who were brought back to the beach were none the worse for wear, according to the lifeguard-service coordinator,  José Villanueva, and did not require medical attention.

The first took place a little before one in the afternoon when the lifeguards on duty saw swimmers periously close to the outer of the three peñones (El Peñon de Fuera).

To reach them quickly and safely the lifeguards used their jetski, which is based on Playa Velilla – it took just minutes for it to speed across from there. The small dingy at their disposal on Playa San Cristóbal was not suitable owing to the rough conditions.

Whilst this was going on, officers belonging to the Policía Local ran up to the top of the Mirador del Santo to help direct the rescue mission from this vantage point. They also alerted the Salvamento Marítimo based in Motril Port, as well as an ambulance.

Although the jetski had no trouble reaching them and giving  them something to hang onto; i.e., the jetski, there was no way to land on the beach owing to the running surf, so one of the lifeguards and a police officer waded into the surf to assist them and get them safely back onto the beach.

Owing to the westerly wind gusting all along the coast, the lifeguards had their work cut out,  trying to get people out of the water for their own safety, as they were ignoring the red flag that was flying.

The only two beaches that weren’t flying red flags were Playa Velilla and Playa Marina del Este as they were more sheltered from the westerly wind.

Meanwhile, over on Playa Puerta del Mar, lifeguards were called in because a woman had been choking on a piece of food as she sat in a restaurant on the Paseo Puerta del Mar.

“They had to carry out CPR after one of the waiters applied the Heimlich Method,” explained the lifeguard coordinator, adding, “as soon as she was breathing again they took her to Hospital Santa Ana by ambulance for a check up.”

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)