On the occasion of the National Day for the Prevention of sea-related accidents & drownings the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Mr. Giannis Plakiotakis and the Chief of the Hellenic Coast Guard - Antinau. Mr. George Alexandrakis carried out an inspection of the existing control system at Moraitis beach.

"The protection of human life at sea will always be our first priority," Mr. Giannis Plakiotakis said.

Mr. George Alexandrakis noted that "it is a day with strong symbolism, established by the State in 2019 with the aim of raising public awareness on issues related to safety at sea. Today is a reminder to the commitment of all stakeholders involved in the prevention and implementation of maritime safety".

The event was attended by the President-Founder of SafeWaterSports Mr. Panagiotis Paschalakis, the President of the Hellenic Lifesaving Schools Association, Mr. Marios Myronakis as well as Senior Officers of the Hellenic Coast Guard.

During the event the Organization presented:

•         the results of the observatory of water accidents and drownings in 2021 issued by the Organization in collaboration with the Hellenic Coast Guard

•         the online software used by the Hellenic Coast Guard for conducting inspections towards lifeguards, water sports centers and private yachts\

•         the Lifeguard Rescue app that records in real time all kinds of rescues & the provision of first aid at beaches given by the lifeguards.

According to the Accident Observatory in 2021 there was NO fatal accidents in water sports. Additionally, fatal accidents at sea decreased by 11% compared to 2019.

With the supply of 155 mobile devices by the Ministry of Digital Governance to the Port Authorities and the special online software developed by SafeWaterSports with the support of Alpha Bank, the Information System acquired new possibilities for inspecting lifeguards, water sports centers and private yachts. The Port Police Directorate prepared online checklists regarding the observance of the legislation and the security regulations. In 2021 the online inspection software was put into full operation and it produced more than 7,209 control sheets at beaches while 4,281 violations were detected and 4,538 control sheets at marine recreational vehicles with 523 violations, where 3,918 controls were performed via tablets.

On the day of the event, there was a real-time online inspection to the lifeguards, carried out by the Port Police using the online software on the tablets.

Finally, during the event, the President of the Hellenic Lifesaving Schools Association Mr. Myronakis, presented the Lifeguard Rescue app, an innovative application created by SafeWaterSports in collaboration with HLSA, with the support of Cosmote. The application records in real time all types of rescues and the cases of first aid issued by lifeguards across the country. HLSA has equipped the lifeguards of the association, with smart phones that have the pre-installed app that is activated by each lifeguard. The app enables the lifeguard to record basic data related to rescue and first aid such as time, location, means used for rescue, medical equipment used for first aid, hospital transportation when needed etc.

The data collected remains confidentially in the Information system. All the information gathered can be an important aid in planning an even more effective nationwide lifeguard coverage at beaches in the following years in order to make our country not only one of the most beautiful destinations in the world, but also one of the safest ones.