Twenty-six beachgoers, including eight children, had to be rescued on Wednesday night (August 24) after becoming stranded on Lagoa’s Praia da Marinha due to the high tide.
Maritime authorities say the beachgoers, identified as Spanish and Portuguese, were on a part of the beach that gets cut off from the rest when the tide is high. Before they knew it, they were completely surrounded by water.
Emergency services were alerted at around 9.30pm, and it took approximately two hours before the beachgoers were rescued. They could not be reached by land or by sea, which was too choppy at the time. Still, rescue teams stood by in case of an emergency.
Finally, at around 11.30pm the tide lowered and authorities took the beachgoers to safety.
Portimão’s port captain Rui Santos Pereira warns that beachgoers should be careful about where they choose to lay their towels. If they do not know the beach, they should always ask a lifeguard for advice.
He also urged people to follow lifeguards’ instructions, as he said there have been “many infringements this year, especially when it comes to respecting beach warning flags”.
