An urgent appeal for lifeguards was made on Monday by the municipality of Paralimni-Deryneia as it struggles to staff local beaches over the summer.

The municipality said that since 2022, responsibility for staffing and operating lifeguard towers on its beaches was transferred to the district government.

It said shortages at certain locations are mainly due to the limited number of applicants willing to work on six or eight month contracts.

The municipality called on anyone interested in becoming a lifeguard – even without the required qualifications – to contact its offices or those of the district government, as training is available.

“The safety of swimmers is everyone’s responsibility,” the municipality concluded, urging the public to actively support efforts to strengthen lifeguard coverage on local beaches.

Famagusta district currently staffs 31 of its 38 lifeguard towers, leaving seven unmanned.

In addition to recruitment and training, Paralimni-Deryneia has been coordinating with local watersports companies to enhance rescue capacity, under the supervision of qualified lifeguards, the council added.

The shortage is not confined to Famagusta.

Earlier this summer, Paphos reported that six of its 35 lifeguard towers remain unmanned, while Limassol has filled only 43 of 79 approved lifeguard positions. Larnaca was the first to raise the alarm, warning that just 11 of its 19 towers were currently manned.