Recklessness on the beach in Łeba. Lifeguards warn: common sense saves lives

Barely a week has passed since the dramatic rescue of a group of young holidaymakers in Łeba – a story that made national headlines across Poland – and yet, the same beaches once again became the stage for shocking irresponsibility. What should have been a lesson for parents, guardians, and camp organisers has clearly not been learned. Instead, lifeguards continue to face situations where negligence and ignorance of the most basic safety rules put lives directly at risk.

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27 august 2025   |   17:39   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

fot. Gniewińskie WOPR

On an unguarded section of the beach, children were found bathing together with their caretaker – in an area where swimming is strictly prohibited. Lifeguards intervened immediately, pulling the entire group back to shore. The police were called to the scene, as the head of the camp insisted there was “no problem” with the situation and demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of water safety regulations.

Only hours later, another incident unfolded. Emergency services launched a search for a three-year-old child who had been left unattended by his parents with the casual instruction to “wash his hands in the sea.” The rescue involved lifeguards, volunteer firefighters from Łeba, the SAR sea rescue service, police officers, and a medical team. The child was eventually found safe on the beach. This time it ended well – but it could have been a tragedy.

Lifeguards’ warning

The Gniewino WOPR (Voluntary Water Rescue Service) emphasises three crucial points:

• negligence by adults puts not only children at risk, but also the rescuers who intervene,
• not every disappearance is noticed in time,
• not every lifeguard will arrive before it is too late.

The rules are simple and universally known, yet still too often ignored:

• never swim on unguarded beaches,
• never leave children unattended – not on the shore, and certainly not in the water,
• always inform your family or companions where you are going and when you plan to return.

As summer holidays draw to a close – with just four days left until schools reopen – lifeguards stress that the sea does not forgive carelessness. Every breach of safety rules carries the risk of irreversible consequences.

Every summer, the Baltic coast shows us two faces of the sea. One is joy, leisure, and family memories. The other is a dangerous force that spares no one’s mistakes. Lifeguards are forced to conduct rescues that, in a responsible society, should never have been necessary in the first place. Because the primary duty of care lies not with emergency services, but with parents and guardians.

And yet, time and again, we see parents, organisers, and caretakers disregarding the most basic principles of water safety. Children are led into the water on unguarded stretches, toddlers are left alone at the shoreline, and camp directors act as if the rules are optional. These are not isolated lapses – they are symptoms of a wider problem of negligence.

Every intervention carries risks. Every day of carelessness is a day when someone may not return from the beach.

At Daily Mare, we stand firmly with the lifeguards’ appeal: responsibility and common sense must become the unbreakable rule for everyone who sets foot on the Baltic coast. Because the sea does not forgive – and not every tragedy will end with a happy outcome.

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