ISLA Sends Lifeguards to the Dominican Republic During Semana Santa

April 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Founded in 2008, ISLA’s mission is to reduce the number of drownings worldwide by building a culture of water safety. Comprised of volunteer lifeguards, the organization provides training, medical supplies, disaster relief, and emergency personnel to beach communities around the world.

The Easter holiday, Semana Santa, is a holy week to commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. In celebration of the holiday, thousands flock to Cabarete – a destination spot known for its sponsored beach parties, festive crowds, and many unfortunate drowning incidents. Alcohol, a large non-swimming population, and treacherous ocean conditions in Cabarete are the primary factors that cause the troubling occurrences. To assist with the busiest season of the year, ISLA sent three professional lifeguards and one ISLA Ambassador to guard the beaches and train volunteers.

To prepare the lifeguards, the ISLA team offered basic lifeguard workshops to students from the DREAM Project in Cabarete, La Federación Dominicana de Surfing- Fedosurf, staff from Viva Tangerine in Cabarete, and to instructors from LEK Kite School. Over their four days of work, the eight member aquatic safety team comprised of ISLA volunteers and local Dominicans rescued sixty-two people and preventative actions saved another three hundred and seventy-five people.  

“Educating lifeguards and working together as a team was a great success, but knowing that we have barely scratched the surface of this dire situation inspires us to continue to develop sustainable systems that reduce the number of drownings in the entire country," said ISLA’s International Relations Manager and Course Instructor, William Koon. “We are looking forward to our future projects in the Dominican Republic and will continue to spread awareness for ocean education, lifeguard trainings, and public safety."

The next step for ISLA and the DR is to work with the the Dominican Civil Defense, Municipalities, and hotels in order to establish a permanent DR lifeguard agency that will create a safer aquatic environment for the people of the DR.

To learn more about ISLA, please visit the website at http://www.islasurf.org or the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ISLAsurf.