{
    "title": "New beach safety campaign as lifeguard season begins on Belgian coast",
    "modified_at": "2026-06-12 13:46:39",
    "published_at": "2026-06-12 13:46:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/new-beach-safety-campaign-as-lifeguard-season-begins-on-belgian-coast",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/3GId",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "new-beach-safety-campaign-as-lifeguard-season-begins-on-belgian-coast",
    "body": "<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>At least one guarded lifeguard station will open in every Belgian coastal municipality this weekend as the summer bathing season officially gets underway. The rescue service will be gradually expanded in the coming weeks, with all 83 lifeguard stations operational from 1 July.</strong></p><p style=\"text-align: left\">More than 1,400 lifeguards will be responsible for beach safety this summer. The season was officially launched on Friday in Westende.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">This year, all elevated lifeguard chairs have been fitted with new information boards using universal pictograms instead of text. The boards provide information on supervised swimming zones, beach flags, dangerous currents, tide times and water temperature, while a QR code links visitors to additional information online.</p><div id=\"video-4ee4d9cb-8b27-4d84-8858-0065e44ae857\" class=\"release-content-video release-content-video--embed release-content-video--contained\">\n    <div><div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"><iframe data-iframely-url=\"https://iframely.net/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F66dc4174-eb4d-489b-8106-f4a454673ec8%2Fbelga%2520video.mp4%23_cb1781265908&key=8fe6cdec03482ac31f27a6ae8ea2fb3f\" style=\"top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\" allowfullscreen allow=\"encrypted-media *;\"></iframe></div></div><script async src=\"https://iframely.net/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>\n</div><p>BELGA VIDEO MAAIKE TIJSSENS</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">&quot;We mainly want to make visitors aware of safe behaviour at the seaside. Anyone who swims in supervised zones and follows the lifeguards&#039; guidelines significantly reduces the risks,&quot; said IKWV chairman Wim Demeester. &quot;Good preparation can prevent a lot of tragedy.&quot;</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">The move is intended to overcome language barriers for visitors. The previous signs contained information in four languages.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">West Flanders governor Carl Decaluw&eacute; also urged caution. &quot;I find it so strange that people think: we&#039;ll go into the sea and just do whatever we want. As if it were a swimming pool. The temperature can be a huge shock to your body, and then there is the undertow.&quot;</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Additional awareness campaigns will run throughout the summer, including a partnership with NMBS, encouraging visitors to swim only in supervised areas.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Lifeguards have also been instructed to report any suspected attempts by migrants to cross the Channel to the competent authorities, although they will intervene whenever lives are at risk.</p><p><sub>#FlandersNewsService | &copy; \u200b BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK</sub></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-a83b5edc-f3aa-4a80-9c56-c9a9942cc29b\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/coastal-lifeguards-open-bathing-season-with-focus-on-prevention-and-safety#header-less-public-swimming\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fe1fdffd8-5b50-4730-953d-f7419c3d8c19%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=fc79d5887d986f17abfdf7cd679cdcd6)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/coastal-lifeguards-open-bathing-season-with-focus-on-prevention-and-safety#header-less-public-swimming\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"a83b5edc-f3aa-4a80-9c56-c9a9942cc29b\"\n           >\n                Coastal lifeguards open swimming season with focus on prevention and safety            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                The official swimming season along Belgium\u2019s coast opened on Friday, with lifeguards bracing for a long, hot summer and the increased risks that...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fcoastal-lifeguards-open-bathing-season-with-focus-on-prevention-and-safety&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<div id=\"bookmark-91911cd2-e3e4-4567-885c-a29eb4b39789\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/five-boats-carrying-around-200-migrants-spotted-off-belgian-coast\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F2dfd314e-b382-450d-bc85-7d1ac65843c1%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=2cd1eab2f0ed4b363b932094ac251451)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/five-boats-carrying-around-200-migrants-spotted-off-belgian-coast\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"91911cd2-e3e4-4567-885c-a29eb4b39789\"\n           >\n                Five boats carrying around 200 migrants spotted off Belgian coast            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                Five small boats carrying at least 200 migrants were spotted off the Belgian coast on Saturday morning, authorities have said. The vessels were...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Ffive-boats-carrying-around-200-migrants-spotted-off-belgian-coast&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>",
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            "embed": "<div><div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"><iframe data-iframely-url=\"https://iframely.net/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F66dc4174-eb4d-489b-8106-f4a454673ec8%2Fbelga%2520video.mp4%23_cb1781265908&key=8fe6cdec03482ac31f27a6ae8ea2fb3f\" style=\"top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\" allowfullscreen allow=\"encrypted-media *;\"></iframe></div></div><script async src=\"https://iframely.net/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script>"
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    "links": [
        {
            "description": "Coastal lifeguards open swimming season with focus on prevention and safety",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/coastal-lifeguards-open-bathing-season-with-focus-on-prevention-and-safety#header-less-public-swimming"
        },
        {
            "description": "Five boats carrying around 200 migrants spotted off Belgian coast",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/five-boats-carrying-around-200-migrants-spotted-off-belgian-coast"
        }
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