The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 12th April 2023
by Mike Evans
Good day to you all and with the weather almost like summer and the temperatures rising on a daily basis it is an opportune time to highlight the issues surrounding beach and sea safety. Whilst for many of us the sea temperature is still too low we are seeing many people who are venturing in without understanding the issues which can occur at this time of the year. The Alagrve in particular still has some very strong spring tides which create large swells and erode the sand close to the beach which, if people are not aware, can cause accidents.
Already this past week we have seen a number of sea based accidents with fatalities where people have been caught up in Rip tides. Also at this time of year most beaches are without lifeguards so this adds another element of danger if people get into difficulty.
The sun and the heat may seem like the ideal invitation to take a few dives, but it takes extra attention. If you are going to the beach in the next few days, know the care to take.
HOW DO I IDENTIFY A RIP CURRENT?
A rip current is a narrow, fast-moving channel of water that starts near the beach and extends offshore through the line of breaking waves.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF CAUGHT IN ONE?
If you do get caught in a rip current, the best thing you can do is stay calm. It’s not going to pull you underwater, it’s just going to pull you away from shore.
Call and wave for help.
You want to float, and you don’t want to swim back to shore against the rip current because it will just tire you out. You want to swim out of the rip, parallel to shore, along the beach and then follow breaking waves back to shore at an angle.
Whilst we expect warm sunny weather at this time of year it is worth knowing that the average temperatures over the coming month will be around 5 degrees warmer than we have had in previous years so if you have guests arriving from colder climates please make sure they are aware that the UV rays here in the Algarve can be very high at this time of year.
Here is a look at some of the stories that have been happening across the Algarve in the past week.
Sea Search For Missing American Suspended
The aquatic searches for the US citizen who has been missing since Friday were suspended this Monday at the end of the afternoon, said the local commander of the Lagos Maritime Police, indicating that in the coming days they will only continue searches on land .
“Today is the first day that we have carried out underwater searches, which we suspended after the entire area of rocks and caves where the victim could be trapped had been searched”, said Pedro Palma, adding that the perimeter of searches at sea covered about 1,400 metres.
The 27-year-old US citizen has been missing since Friday, after having dived from a cliff, in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, the diving operation having started this morning, as conditions had not previously been met. were favourable, owing to the rough seas. On Sunday, a team of divers from the Maritime Police tried three times to look for the missing young man, next to the cliff, but the sea conditions always prevented the submariners from carrying out an underwater check, clarified the local commander of the Maritime Police of Lagos.
According to Pedro Palma, sea and underwater searches will not be repeated, since the degree of uncertainty as to the location of the body is very high, and from now on, only land searches will continue.
“In the next few days we will continue with land searches on the sand of the nearby beaches – Martinhal, Zavial, Ingrina -, with patrols by firefighters and the Maritime Police”, concluded that official. The man was walking, accompanied by a person, along a cliff between Praia do Barranco and Praia da Ingrina, when he allegedly dived into the sea, eventually disappearing.
The alert for the disappearance was received around 20:00 on Friday.
After the incident, the Maritime Police Psychology Office provided support to the person accompanying the victim.
VRSA Lifeguard Station Assists Youth in Difficulties
Last Wednesday, the crew of the Vila Real de Santo António Lifeguard Station (VRSA) helped a 17-year-old who suffered a “possible dislocation” of an upper limb following a dive on the beach on the island of Tavira , announced the National Maritime Authority .
Following an alert received at 5:05 pm, via the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC Lisbon), reporting a drowning situation on the beach of the island of Tavira, elements of the Local Command were activated for the scene. the Maritime Police of Tavira, the Lifeguard Station of Vila Real de Santo António, as well as the Municipal Fire Department of Tavira.
Upon arrival at the scene, it was found that the victim, a 17-year-old boy, was on land and had a “possible dislocation” in one of his upper limbs, which he would have suffered following a dive, having been promptly assisted on site with the support of the Lifeguard Station crew and firefighters. The victim was later transported by the crew of the Estação Salva-vidas to the Quatro Águas pier, where an ambulance from the Municipal Fire Department of Tavira was waiting to transport the victim to a hospital unit.
Algarve Train Line resumed after Fatal Collision in Portimão
Train circulation on the Algarve Line resumed at 00:05 this Thursday, after a collision in Portimão, which killed one person this Wednesday night, said a Civil Protection source.
A source from the Algarve Sub-regional Command had said that the accident occurred on the Portimão railway bridge and that the victim is a 33-year-old man of Pakistani nationality.
The alert for the train being run over by the train travelling east-west was given at 10:30 pm on Wednesday and traffic was interrupted.The same source added that train circulation had been restored since 00:05 today.
Elements of INEM and local firefighters were on site, with a total of 13 operators supported by five vehicles.
Two Arrested for Drug Trafficking
Two people aged 35 and 46 were arrested on the night of Monday, April 3, in Portimão , for drug trafficking, announced the Public Security Police (PSP). The arrest was made by the Faro District Command of the PSP , through the Portimão Criminal Investigation Squadron, after a surveillance action.
130 doses of cocaine were seized, 3000 euros that may come from illicit activity, an electric gun and various materials for cutting, weighing and packaging.
Man Arrested for Violent Crimes In Olhao
A 41-year-old man was arrested on March 29, in Olhão , on suspicion of committing several violent crimes , announced the Public Security Police (PSP).
The arrest was made by the Faro District Command of the PSP, through the Olhão Police Station, after an investigation carried out over the last year.
The detainee, residing in Olhão, is accused of aggravated threat crimes, aggravated theft, damage, resistance and coercion against an employee, aggravated coercion, offence to qualified physical integrity, possession of a prohibited weapon and aggravated theft. The man was presented to the judicial authority on March 31 and was remanded in custody.
GNR Make 69 Arrests In Algarve Over Easter
69 people were arrested in the last week, 3 to 9 April, in the Algarve, according to the latest GNR report. Of these 69 arrests, 25 were for driving under the influence of alcohol, 23 for driving without a licence and five for drug trafficking. 49 doses of hashish, 22 of cocaine and a pistol were also seized.
450 people were issued with fines of which 218 for speeding, 51 for lack of mandatory periodic inspection, 42 related to anomalies in the lighting and signalling systems, 23 for improper use of the cell phone, 16 for lack of civil liability insurance and 15 for missing or incorrect use of the seat belt and/or child restraint system.
Across the Algarve there were also 126 accidents, which resulted in six serious injuries and 22 minor injuries.
Faro to Get More CCTV cameras to Combat Crime
The main road axes and several points in downtown Faro will have video surveillance systems for the purpose of crime prevention. The contract for the installation of a total of 32 cameras, of four different types, was awarded last March, representing an investment of more than 550 thousand euros, informed the Council of Faro in a statement.
The works foresee the expansion of the fibre optic network and the preparation of the support infrastructures for the installation of the system in “specific locations”, namely in the shopping area, on the main road axes and downtown.
According to the municipality, video surveillance will make it possible to monitor public and private property and “prevent crimes in places where there is a reasonable risk of their occurrence”.“At the same time, it will allow the prevention and repression of road violations”, reads the note.
The system is capable of capturing and recording audio “whenever there is a situation of concrete danger to the safety of people and property”.
The cameras will be operated by the Public Security Police (PSP), working uninterruptedly 24 hours a day, every day of the week.