Suddenly, the sound of a siren filled the air and a red flag popped up, warning the swimmers to return to the beach immediately as the sea was getting too rough.
Malaysia has many alluring beaches that draw hordes of visitors but many beachgoers are impervious to the hazards around them as they swim or indulge in other recreational water activities.
This is where Baywatch steps in.
Not many beachgoers are aware that the Malaysia Civil Defence Force, a unit under the Prime Minister’s Department, has a Baywatch team comprising 150 trained lifeguards who are stationed at 41 popular beaches throughout the country.
The name Baywatch was inspired by the popular American television series (1989-2001) about Los Angeles lifeguards, starring David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson.
Malaysia’s Baywatch lifeguards not only patrol the beaches but also monitor the sea and surrounding areas from their lookout towers – aptly called the Baywatch tower – and are ready to jump into action at the first whiff of danger,
Teluk Kemang itself has two Baywatch towers, one located at Batu 8 and the other about 900 metres away. There is also a Baywatch tower at Saujana beach at Batu 4, Port Dickson.
Four lifeguards at each tower
Port Dickson district Civil Defence assistant director Lt Mohd Yaakob Md Asri said the Baywatch squad would issue a warning to swimmers if the weather turned nasty and waves became rough.
A white flag flying at the Baywatch tower would mean that the sea conditions are safe for swimming and recreational water activities; a red flag serves as a warning to all to stay clear of the water.
“However, there are some who don’t heed the warnings and continue with their activities. These stubborn people are usually visitors from far away who want to make full use of their visit to the beach,” Yaakob said.
He said four lifeguards, comprising Civil Defence staff and volunteers, were stationed at each Baywatch tower and they took turns to patrol the beach and also monitor the goings-on from their tower through their binoculars.
“The team is also equipped with boats, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles and other rescue equipment that are ready to be used in the event a rescue operation has to be launched,” he added.
Disregard for safety
Lamenting public disregard for safety, Yaakob said in Teluk Kemang, for instance, many swimmers continued to swim in areas allocated to jet ski and banana boat rides despite knowing that they could get hit.
Following a couple of tragedies involving banana boats in Teluk Kemang, the authorities had placed some barricades in the sea in 2014 to separate the swimming area from the routes plied by jet ski and banana boat operators.
In September 2014, 23-year-old Muhamad Hidayat Ramlan died from injuries sustained after being hit by a banana boat while he was swimming in Teluk Kemang.
In December 2013, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl drowned after she was flung into the sea during a banana boat ride. The girl and her father, along with other passengers, fell into the sea after an alleged stunt by the boat operator off Pantai Purnama, near here.
Malaysia Civil Defence Force Disaster Management and Operations Division assistant director Lt Col Mohd Rosman Abdullah said public apathy towards safety was not only evident in Port Dickson but also at other popular beaches in the country.
He hoped that the government would consider empowering the Baywatch lifeguards to take the necessary action against recalcitrant beachgoers who ignore their warnings.
“Currently, the Baywatch squads can only advise them and launch rescue missions if the need arises. They cannot carry out enforcement activities,” he said in an interview.
Fewer mishaps now
Rosman, however, said since the creation of the Baywatch team, there has been a drop in the number of accidents involving beachgoers.
In 2017, the Civil Defence Force handled 514 cases nationwide involving drowning, and swimmers stung by jellyfish and treated for light injuries, compared with 715 such cases in 2016.
In Port Dickson, the number of mishaps involving recreational water sports activities reduced to seven in 2017 from 10 in the previous year. There was one drowning case in 2017, as opposed to four in 2016.
A total of 18 children were reported to have gone missing in the seas off Port Dickson in 2017, down from 21 a year earlier.
The Baywatch lifeguards operate from 9am to 7pm daily. In Bagan Lalang, Selangor, and Pantai Cenang in Langkawi, they conduct round-the-clock operations.