26 Jul 2026 | By Danara Kulathilaka
Every year, thousands of people visit Sri Lanka’s beaches seeking adventure, beauty, and leisure. Yet, along the island’s pristine coastline, there is a recurring threat which is often overlooked: drowning remains one of the leading preventable causes of death globally, occurring fast and silently, often before people nearby notice someone is in danger.
Against this backdrop, the World Drowning Prevention Day, proclaimed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and observed annually on 25 July, this year bears the theme ‘Unite to Turn the Tide’.
In conjunction with this global initiative, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) has planned a series of public awareness campaigns and lifesaving training programmes aimed at educating the public on drowning prevention and promoting lifesaving skills throughout the country.
From establishing lifesaving posts along Sri Lanka’s coastline to training thousands of lifesavers and advocating for greater awareness of water-related hazards, the Coast Guard remains constantly dedicated to responding to maritime emergencies while also continuously expanding its lifesaving capabilities through rescue operations, training programmes, and public education.
The SLCG is Sri Lanka’s mandated maritime law enforcement agency and is also responsible for lifesaving. The agency plays a key role in State efforts to prevent drowning incidents from occurring and works closely with other agencies and non-State agencies/volunteer groups to save lives at sea.
“To ensure the safety of both local and foreign tourists who enjoy Sri Lanka’s beaches and coastal waters, the SLCG remains continuously prepared to respond to maritime emergencies,” Commander Anurudda Kulage of the SLCG told The Sunday Morning .
At present, the SLCG has established 16 lifesaving posts along beaches of the island and deployed trained lifesavers to provide continuous protection to beachgoers and to respond promptly to water-related emergencies involving both local and foreign tourists.
According to Commander Kulage, since its establishment, the SLCG has trained nearly 5,000 lifesavers, who have collectively rescued more than 2,600 lives from drowning around the island’s coastline. Notably, nearly half of those rescued were foreign nationals, highlighting the Coast Guard’s significant contribution to safeguarding Sri Lanka’s tourism industry and ensuring the safety of international visitors.
Saving lives through lifesaving training
Commander Kulage noted that since the establishment of the Life Saving Training School (LSTS) in Balapitiya in 2012, the Coast Guard had trained nearly 5,000 lifesavers through internationally recognised programmes.
“The SLCG Life Saving Training School in Balapitiya was established in 2012 and it has been conducting internationally recognised lifesaving training programmes. These include basic lifesaving, an intermediate course, Bronze Medallion, Silver Medallion, a lifesaving instructor course, and pool lifeguard courses.
“These programmes are not limited to Coast Guard personnel but are also offered to foreign armed force personnel, members of the Sri Lankan armed forces and law enforcement agencies, university students, members of other Government institutions, schoolchildren, fishermen, and civilians,” he added.
Commander Kulage added that the SLCG had expanded opportunities within the profession itself with the launch of the first-ever lifesaving programme for women. The initiative marks a significant step towards increasing women’s participation in a field traditionally dominated by men.
“In a historic milestone, the SLCG launched its first-ever lifesaving training programme exclusively for women in December 2025 at the LSTS. This initiative marked the beginning of expanding lifesaving responsibilities, which had traditionally been performed only by men, by creating opportunities for women to demonstrate their capabilities and actively participate in lifesaving operations,” he stated.
He added that the programme had been conducted successfully for female personnel of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, further promoting gender inclusivity and equal opportunities within the field of lifesaving.
Through such initiatives and more, from 2009 up to 18 July this year, the SLCG has succeeded in rescuing a total of 2,662 people, including 1,418 locals and 1,244 foreign nationals.
Contrary to popular belief that drowning occurs due to a human’s inability to swim, drowning can be a result of both human errors or recklessness and unfortunate environmental conditions, creating situations that can challenge even experienced swimmers.
Commander Kulage explained that Sri Lanka’s geographical characteristics had a significant influence on drowning hazards, with each shoreline determining how dangerous the surrounding waters could become.
“The most significant environmental factors are rough seas, sudden rise of water level, and rip currents, which are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that travel away from the shore, cutting back out through breaking waves,” he said.
Noting Sri Lanka’s geological location, Commander Kulage said that the gradient and other conditions of the sea bed, shape of the land, seasons, tidal patterns of estuaries, and monsoons impacted the risk of drowning incidents in different coastal areas.
According to him, coastal areas with sandy, rocky, or muddy sea beds might experience diverse wave patterns and currents, while estuaries also create unique conditions by mixing freshwater from rivers and streams with seawater.
“The seasonal current pattern of the sea changes according to the time of the year, and during the northeast and southwest monsoons, the sea is rough and wave height is greater than during other periods,” he said.
Commander Kulage added that Sri Lanka being an island nation also played a part in increasing the risk of drowning as it gave people more exposure to the sea.
Human factors among causes of drowning
While environmental conditions are only part of the problem, the SLCG has identified several human-related factors that increase the risk. Among these are reckless human behaviour and certain medical conditions that heavily contribute towards drowning hazards.
“Alcohol consumption, the inability to swim, natural diseases, neurological impairment, and psychiatric illnesses are among the most common causes for drowning,” Commander Kulage noted.
The Coast Guard has also identified the 11–30 years and 45–64 years age groups as those most affected. Based on a gender-based analysis from 2016 to 2026, males account for the majority of rescues. During this period, 887 local males and 574 foreign males have been rescued, bringing the total number of males rescued to 1,461. Females rescued during the same period stands at 667, including 172 local females and 495 foreign females.
Peak rescue periods and high-risk coastal areas
The SLCG has identified the November–May period as the interval when rescue operations tend to increase. This could be fuelled by certain environmental conditions as well as increased public activity around coastal regions.
According to Commander Kulage, the SLCG has also identified several coastal areas as locations requiring increased attention due to frequent public use and environmental conditions. “Mount Lavinia, Panadura, Balapitiya, Bentota, Moragalla, Gopalapuram, Nilaveli, Hikkaduwa, and Mirissa are the most high-risk coastal areas,” he said.
Commander Kulage emphasised that drowning was often silent and occurred within seconds, making public awareness an important part of prevention. He added that it required more than emergency response, as awareness, preparedness, and early intervention played a critical role in saving lives.
“Drowning happens fast and silently. Most victims do not call for help from people on shore, and many bystanders do not realise that someone is in danger. Awareness teaches people what drowning actually looks like and helps them recognise local hazards like tides, current patterns, and sea bed conditions before they get in the water,” he said.
According to him, awareness reduces drowning deaths at three levels: prevention, early rescue, and emergency response.
At the prevention level, people are encouraged to avoid swimming alone, check warning flags, avoid alcohol before entering the water, and understand whether rip currents are present.
At the early rescue stage, bystanders can be trained to assist safely by throwing rescue equipment or using available methods to reach a person in distress.
At the response stage, knowledge of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and first aid can make the difference between life and death.
“These programmes help build a water safety culture. Countries with strong awareness have lower death rates by drowning because people check tide times, parents supervise near water, boats carry lifejackets, and schools teach swimming and survival skills,” Commander Kulage noted.
More lifeguards and lifeguard stations
Commander Kulage further stated that while lifesaving posts had been built in numerous locations, Sri Lanka needed additional lifesaving coverage due to its large coastline and popularity of beaches.
“Sri Lanka is an island with 1,340 km of coastline and beautiful beaches that are attractive to tourists. There are many public beaches that attract large crowds, especially during public holidays, but these do not have dedicated lifesaving stations at present,” he said.
These beaches include Tangalle, Matara, Polhena, Dikwella, Hambantota, Crow Island, Calido Beach, Chilaw, and Ahangama.
Commander Kulage added: “SLCG Director General Rear Admiral Rohan Joseph has initiated the construction of another 10 lifeguard stations at the aforesaid beaches and attached our lifeguards to them.”
While the Coast Guard plays an important role in the protection of coastal areas, Commander Kulage stressed the necessity of expanding lifesaving operations to inland waters.
“Most drownings in Sri Lanka do not happen at sea. They happen in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, and near dams and canals,” he said.
As Sri Lanka has numerous inland water bodies, limiting lifesaving activities to coastal areas would leave many vulnerable areas unprotected.
“If lifeguards only cover the coast, they will miss most of the other risky areas because Sri Lanka is a country rich in inland water bodies,” Commander Kulage said, highlighting the importance of expanding lifesaving awareness, training, and deployment across both coastal and inland environments in order to effectively reduce drowning deaths.
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