More than 180 people were rescued from potential drowning incidents in Bahrain last year, thanks to the efforts of the kingdom’s pioneering water safety organisation.
These cases involved a range of situations, including swimmers venturing beyond their depth or suffering cramps to individuals falling from kayaks while unable to swim or not wearing life jackets.
Established in 2016, Royal Life Saving Bahrain (RLSB) works to promote lifesaving services across the country, encouraging authorities and developers to implement safety measures along the country’s coastline. As a result of these efforts, the organisation now provides lifeguard services at six beaches – Sama Bay, Bilaj Al Jazayer, Solymar Beach, Address Beach Resort Bahrain, Marassi Beach and Vida Beach Resort Marassi Al Bahrain – with plans to expand further.
“Last year, we recorded 364,862 visitors across the six beaches,” RLSB general manager Sam Rahman told the GDN.
“Within these numbers, 20,259 prevention actions were taken, 312 first aid incidents were reported and 187 rescues were performed.”
Preventive actions include early interventions designed to stop accidents before they occur, such as ensuring parents supervise children, intervening when jet skis approach swimmers too closely and discouraging other dangerous behaviour.
Despite these efforts, drowning continues to be a serious concern in Bahrain, largely due to limited public awareness and underreporting. “On average, drowning results in between 16 and 30 deaths per year,” Mr Rahman said, noting that many of these incidents occur in private swimming pools that are rented out during the summer months.
“These pools often have adjacent rooms, and we frequently see incidents where someone accidentally falls into the water,” he explained. “Most child drownings happen within five metres of the poolside. Many people assume drownings are loud, but in reality, they are often silent.
“The World Health Organisation defines drowning as entirely preventable, and our goal is to bring Bahrain’s numbers down to zero,” he said.
Achieving this, however, requires a multifaceted approach. Around 50 per cent of Bahrain’s population cannot swim, and a nationwide survey conducted by RLSB in 2017 found that many people significantly overestimate their swimming abilities, suggesting the number of non-swimmers may be even higher.
Mr Rahman also pointed to historical factors affecting swimming skills in Bahrain. “The decline of water-based professions such as pearl diving played a role,” he said. “In the past, communities lived by the sea and swimming competency was naturally higher. With the collapse of the pearling industry and the rise of the oil sector, people moved away from water activities to new professions.”
Today, swimming skills among children are alarmingly low. “Around 95pc of primary school students are unable to swim,” he said.
To address this, RLSB is working to integrate swimming lessons into the national curriculum in government schools.
Another hidden danger highlighted by Mr Rahman is Bahrain’s deep-shelving beaches, where the seabed drops sharply into deep water just a short distance from the shore.
“At first glance these beaches may appear safe and calm,” he said, noting that unlike gradual slopes seen in other parts of the world, the Gulf can maintain a shallow depth before suddenly dropping off a cliff. People often venture too far, fall into the deep water, and are caught in strong currents.”
To tackle swimming challenges, RLSB has developed a range of programmes for all age groups to improve swimming and lifesaving skills.
Last year, in partnership with Tamkeen, the organisation launched the Future Lifeguard Training Programme after discovering that 96pc of lifeguard applicants failed basic swim tests.
The programme runs for three months, five-days-a-week, teaching participants to swim before training them as volunteer lifeguards.
RLSB has also launched initiatives aimed at children. Last year, it introduced Bahrain’s first-ever Rookie Junior Beach Lifesaving Championship for children from its Rookie Junior Beach Lifesaving Club. It featured a series of challenges designed to test swimming, rescue and teamwork skills.
Set up in 2021, the club is a nine-week termly programme in Bahrain for children aged five to 16 that teaches water safety, lifesaving skills, first aid and team building and leadership through weekly sessions at Budaiya Beach and other locations.
“We have opened 150 free spaces for children from government schools aged five to 16,” Mr Rahman said, adding that the programme will be delivered in Arabic to encourage wider participation.
Plans are also underway to introduce programmes for children under the age of five.
Currently, Bahrain has no official pool or beach safety guidelines, prompting RLSB to develop its own standards. These include annual safety compliance checks, the presence of certified lifeguards, thorough risk assessments, water quality monitoring, staff training and emergency rescue preparedness, while uncovered pools should be fenced to prevent unauthorised access, particularly by children.
Beach safety measures recommended by RLSB include certified lifeguards who are registered with the Labour Ministry, aged 18 to 35, fluent in English, and proficient in swimming, as well as first aid and CPR-certified personnel on site at all times.
“When we first started, no beaches in Bahrain had lifeguards,” Mr Rahman said, adding that the measures implemented have undoubtedly saved lives. “By training and placing lifeguards across beaches, we also created more local employment opportunities.”
The first batch of 15 Bahraini lifeguards graduated in May last year from the water safety group, with the second batch set to graduate soon.
RLSB recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bahrain Aquatics to strengthen national water safety standards, training programmes and lifesaving initiatives. The agreement aims to support the growth of aquatic sports while enhancing safety across the kingdom.
For more information, visit @rlsbahrain on Instagram.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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