Two young men rescued from sea while red flag was flying on Costa del Sol beach

Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol boasts one of the most attractive stretches of coastline in the province Malaga, due to the large number of coves, cliffs and rocks. However, this rugged terrain also increases the risks for bathers when there are strong waves. The lifeguard service, together with the Local Police and the Guardia Civil, works hard to warn swimmers of the danger and to try to prevent them from entering the sea when the red 'no bathing' flag is flying

However, there are still those who continue to ignore the warnings. This happened last Tuesday afternoon at the easternmost end of Nerja's Burriana beach. Two young men, ignoring the signs, went into the water in the area known as La Cala del Lobo Marino (the cove of the sea wolf). Eye witnesses reported that they were having difficulty getting back to shore.

Two lifeguards rushed to their aid, managing to get them to safety successfully, although not without great difficulty, although they did not require medical assistance. One of the two young bathers was pulled out of the cove, which can only be reached by swimming from Burriana beach or by following a long path between the cliffs. The other was brought to the shore at the easternmost end of Burriana beach.

Last Tuesday was a very complicated day in Nerja due to the strong west swell that broke from midday. On Wednesday the situation remained very similar, with seven of the ten beaches marked with a red flag and the other three with a yellow flag, according to information published by Nerja town hall on its social media networks.

The previous rescue in Nerja happened on 11 July, when a Local Police officer and an off-duty Guardia Civil policeman saved the life of a 40-year-old swimmer. The officers pulled the Moroccan to the shore of Calahonda beach late in the evening, where he was dragged by the current from the Salón area, next to the Balcón de Europa. It happened after 8pm, when the lifeguard service had ended.