How you can join three Benalmadena lifeguards on their mission to clean up our beaches

Three Benalmadena lifeguards are taking some time to swap rescue duties for rubbish collection, launching an important challenge that doubles up a community beach clean with a gruelling paddleboard journey along the coastline.

Who is behind the challenge

Victor Lopez Ruz, a lifeguard with more than 25 years of experience, has teamed up with colleagues Aleksandar Levok and Mateo Castelloti to organise the two-part plan. All three work as rescue lifeguards in Benalmadena and decided to act after watching how carelessly some visitors treated the sea this summer. Lopez said numerous complaints from residents and holidaymakers about the state of how some people leave Malaga’s beaches helped push the trio into action.

Dates for the diary

First, a community clean-up will take place on Saturday, September 26 at Playa Fuente de la Salud in Benalmadena, where anyone can get involved, you can grab a bag and pitch in directly. Then the far more demanding date follows on Saturday, October 10, when the three lifeguards take to the water on a rescue paddleboard, backed by two kayaks, to cover more than 40 kilometres between Benalmadena and Marbella. Over an eight-to-ten-hour stretch, they’ll rotate between the board and kayaks while pulling plastic waste from the water.

Drowning figures add urgency to the mission

Safety is just as important to the missions as the cleanliness is. Lopez pointed to Andalucia’s grim summer toll, with 43 drowning deaths recorded between June and August according to the Real Federacion Española de Salvamento y Socorrismo. Benalmadena’s own team carried out close to 200 rescues over the same period.

Why as many people as possible should get involved

Anyone living on the Costa del Sol knows how stunning these beaches are and how much of a part they play in most people’s daily life, whether it’s a morning swim, an evening walk, or a gorgeous view from a terrace. Turning up to the September clean-up costs nothing but a couple of hours, and it’s a easy way to give something back to the community. Check out Vikingo Lopez on FaceBook for the details and updates