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Lifeguard candidates flunk swim test
 
NEW DELHI, Dec 14, 2006 (UNI)

Tourism officials in the Indian coastal resort state of Goa are having a tough time finding lifeguards after just one candidate out of 129 passed the swimming test, a report Friday said.
Only one could swim 400 metres (1,320 feet) in the mandatory nine minutes and nearly half could not complete the stretch at all, the Times of India reported under the headline ‘‘No Baywatch in Goa: Lifeguards flunk test.’’
‘‘It was a revelation,’’ said Sanjit Rodrigues, managing director of the Goa Tourism Development Corp.
‘‘We can at best relax age qualifications of candidates, but definitely not pick up lifeguards who cannot meet the standards,’’ Rodrigues said in Goan state capital Panaji.
‘‘But there is some hope as some of candidates cleared the stretch in 12 to 15 minutes. Maybe with training they can improve,’’ he added
The palm-fringed Goa coast is a favourite destination for domestic and foreign tourists but authorities have been worried by a number of drowning deaths amid strong currents.
The tourist corporation is hoping to recruit 100 lifeguards by February to help ensure safe beaches.