Lifeguard Marcos Ruiz had to intervene several times this summer in Mallorca and save holidaymakers who often didn’t even know how much danger they were in. The current usually carried the bathers out into the open sea. Some of them were taking a carefree nap on air mattresses. These careless and sometimes drunk people can count themselves lucky that Ruiz and Co. usually recognize the danger in time and react.
But despite all the experience and efforts of the beach “guardian angels”, tourists and locals continue to drown off the coast of the Spanish Mediterranean island every year. According to a recent statement from the Spanish Association of Lifeguards Aetsas, there were 24 fatal drowning accidents in the Balearic Islands up to the end of August this year, the majority of which occurred on Mallorca (18). The lifeguards have a lot to do and have been protesting for a long time to achieve improvements.
Among other things, they are demanding that the beach surveillance times be extended into the evening and into the months of March and November. This requires more staff, they say. Support will initially come from technology. In order to reduce the number of accidents, drones will be used in the future.
Such a device is being tested in the municipality of Santanyà in the east of Mallorca: The tests have been carried out by the Valencia-based company General Drones since the end of August and will continue until September 26. The flying object can help more than just swimmers in distress. “We can also film boats that don’t follow the rules. This way the police can later hand out tickets,” says company boss Adrián Plazas.
Ruiz welcomes the project: “If it is of any use, we will accept it gratefully,” he told the German Press Agency. But he also expressed scepticism. “On the one hand, you have to weigh up the costs that could be used to pay for other things. And on the other hand, the technology could fail. I don’t want to rely on it 100 percent.”
The drones have loudspeakers and life jackets
Plazas highlights the advantages of his drones. “We can fly them up to six kilometers. In consultation with the police, we are always at different parts of the beach,” he says. The drone has a loudspeaker. “Our pilot speaks Spanish and English. He can use this to make announcements. Theoretically, we could also play recordings in other languages.”
There are also two life jackets attached to the machine that can be dropped in an emergency. This has not been necessary during the tests on the coast of SantanyÃ. “We have been offering our service in Valencia since 2017. Last year, there were 16 drops of life jackets in extreme situations,” says Plazas.
A family was rescued during the tests in high waves
The most dangerous scene during the tests on the island involved a family who had ventured too close to a rocky part of the coast in high waves. “A high wave could have washed them into the sea. We told them via loudspeaker to keep their distance.” In general, the drone is ideal for areas that the police have difficulty getting to.
Santanyà is spending 15,000 euros on the pilot project. Other municipalities on Mallorca have expressed their interest. Among them is the city of Palma, which is responsible for the Ballermann and has announced that it wants to make the beach “intelligent”. In addition to a new app for renting parasols and sun loungers, video surveillance and drones are to be introduced.
The importance of better monitoring of shipping on Mallorca was demonstrated not least by the fatal accident at Cala Bona – like Santanyà on the east coast of the island. According to the authorities, a yacht piloted by Germans was travelling much too fast and ran over a small fishing boat. A 20-year-old Mallorcan fisherman died. The investigation is ongoing.
Small boats, which can be rented and driven without a license, and jet skis also cause a lot of trouble in Mallorca, as the rules are often ignored. Many people drive too fast and through the bathing areas marked with buoys, where they are not allowed.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240919-930-236871/1
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