Mumbai: A Sunday swim that cost these two school boys their lives. Royston and his friend Alex went to Juhu beach, defying the warning of an unusually high tide of 4.58 meters.
"We told them it was dangerous, but they said they know how to swim. We only have a life jacket to help us during rescues. We have no boats," said Subroto Mukherjee, Volunteer Lifeguard, Juhu Beach.
Juhu Beach is one of the safer stretches on Mumbai's coastline. Other popular spots like Aksa, Gorai and Bandra are notoriously tricky.
Commenting on the incident, president of the Juhu Beach Lifeguard Association Neville David said, "Aksa Beach is very dangerous as there is a gap between the water and the land. So there is a current being produced there. So during high tide when people go swimming they don't know there is a current being produced and they get stuck. Same in Bandra at Sea-Rock hotel, where the couples sit, and they don't realise that the water is coming in."
Last year, during the three months of Monsoon, over 20 cases of drowning were registered. The sea is often rough during high tides and the few life guards manning the beaches are ill-equipped for rescue work.
This board speaks volumes of the seriousness with which this warning is taken. It says swimming in the sea here is a punishable offence. Another chart on the other side shows the date and tide timings and warns citizens against swimming on these days. Despite this, thousands of tourists venture into the sea at their own risk and all the authorities do is put up their hands in defence.