More Than One Domestic Tourist Rescued From Drowning Every Day by Drishti Marine Lifesavers off Goa Coast
~ Throughout 2025, Drishti Marine lifesavers rescued 450 Indian nationals which includes Indian tourists and Goan residents and 98 foreign nationals.
~ Russians topped the list of foreigners rescued from drowning in Goa, followed by UK nationals.
Panaji, February 2026 — More than one domestic tourist was rescued from drowning every day by Drishti Marine lifesavers in 2025 in the popular beach tourism destination of Goa, with 450 Indian nationals which included Indian tourists and Goan residents as well as 98 foreigners during the year, taking the total count of water-based rescues to 548 from a total of 614 reported incidents, which includes several multiple rescues.
“In 2025, lifesavers assisted 829 victims through interventions, that went beyond water-based rescues, include locating missing children, returning lost articles, preventing thefts, administering first aid in case of suspected fractures, heat exhaustion, jellyfish stings, cuts, dehydration, missing persons and cardiac emergencies,” said Navin Awasthi, CEO, Drishti Marine.
The year also witnessed the rescues of Russians (56) and UK nationals (13), who topped the list of foreign nationals who were rescued by Drishti Marine lifesavers. Visitors from neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka topped the list of domestic tourists who were saved from drowning along Goa’s coastline and the Dudhsagar waterfalls during the same period.
The coastal state’s most popular Baga-Sinquerim beach stretch accounted for the highest number of water-based rescues and other beach incidents, like missing children and first aid administration, among others.
In North Goa, Calangute (103), Baga (68), Sinquerim (61) and Candolim (58) recorded the highest number of beach-related incidents necessitating the involvement of lifesavers in 2025, while in South Goa, Colva (55), Palolem (50), Mobor (38) and Agonda (35) emerged as the most incident-prone beaches.
Monthly trends indicate clear seasonal spikes in rescue operations depending on various factors, including weather conditions, holiday weekends, tourism seasonal variations and the Christmas and New Year festivities, which result in a significant bump in beach arrivals.
October recorded the highest number of incidents requiring lifesaver intervention (67) for the year, coinciding with the post-monsoon reopening of several beaches and the onset of the tourist season. December, traditionally Goa’s busiest tourism month, logged the highest overall volume of beach incidents, reflecting the strain placed on coastal infrastructure and emergency response systems during peak footfall periods.
Children and young adults formed a significant proportion of those requiring assistance. A large share of missing-person incidents involved minors (97) who wandered away from family members on crowded beaches. Drishti Marine lifesavers administered first aid to 110 victims, which involved attending to cuts from broken glass, injuries, stingray bites, stray dog bites, etc. In 2025, 12 incidents involving stray dog bites were reported on the state’s beaches that necessitated first aid and immediate care from lifesavers.
Among individual beaches, Calangute in North Goa recorded the highest number of incidents in 2025 with 85 cases, while Colva topped the list in South Goa with 52 incidents. At the other end of the spectrum, Dona Paula in North Goa reported just one rescue in 2025, while Cola and Zalor beaches in South Goa also recorded one rescue each, the lowest in their two respective districts.
