by Rod Hughes
In a measure long overdue, the Cabinet Council has ordered the Tourism Institute (ICT) to install 138 signs warning of dangerous currents at 30 of the country’s most hazardous beaches on both coasts. The signs are coated with salt-resistant reflective aluminum on sturdy bases to foil vandals and are in both English and Spanish.
Despite efforts by private individuals, most beaches have no life guards even in the high season and the Red Cross does not have the budget to provide them. But worse is that the only warning for the tourist swimmer is an occasional sign in a hotel.
Off some Costa Rican beaches, inviting, lukewarm waters conceal undertows or rip currents (once called rip tides) that can carry unwary swimmers out into the ocean. If one is a strong swimmer, one can survive them by not fighting the current, but by swimming parallel to the beach until reaching quiet water or even a current that is circling toward the beach.
Panic is the swimmer’s worst enemy and has accounted for taking the lives of many tourists and residents alike over the years. Floating is easier in tropical warm waters than it is in colder Northern Hemisphere seas, since a relaxed human body will float for hours.
An important rule is never to swim alone. Even though this country boasts oceans off both coasts, an amazing percentage of Costa Ricans do not know how to swim, so rescue is unlikely. Even at that, the only thing a rescuer can do is to help the distressed swimmer remain afloat and calm—no one, no matter how strong, can fight a rip current.
Not all resort areas are hazardous. For example, the waters off Samara Beach are protected by a reef. One can find out by asking at a tourism installation, resort or hotel. (Many locals do not venture out beyond ankle depth, so asking them is useless. Also, some are alarmists who may keep you from enjoying a safe swim.)
But not everyone was encouraged with the signs in lieu of lifeguards. The weekly Tico Times ran an acerbic Arcadio editorial cartoon showing an idyllic beach scene marred by a derelict lifeguard station and a huge sign that read, “Please Don’t Drown Here. (It looks bad for tourism.)”