Agios Nikolaos: 83,586 euros for lifeguards

The Municipal Committee has approved the second and third minutes of the open electronic tender for lifeguard cover on the beaches of the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos. The contractor’s financial bid comes to 83,585.94 euros before VAT and covers the year 2026. The committee found the award documentation submitted by the provisional contractor to be complete and recommended the final award of the contract, a step that closes the tender procedure and clears the way for signature. The financial bid covers the whole of this year’s bathing season.

Lifeguard cover is compulsory for beaches designated as busy by the competent committee, which is made up with the participation of the port authority and the municipality. The obligation includes a lifeguard tower, certified staff, rescue equipment and set hours of cover throughout the bathing season. The cost falls on the municipality or on the body managing the beach and is every year a significant item of expenditure for the coastal municipalities of Crete. The legislation also sets minimum distances between lifeguard towers and requires a rescue boat to be available on long beaches, requirements that push up costs for municipalities with an extensive coastline.

Delays in completing these tenders are a recurring issue across the country. When the procedure does not close in time, beaches are left unsupervised in the first months of the season, precisely when visitor numbers begin to rise. In Crete the issue has also been raised publicly over beaches where residents’ groups are formally asking for a lifeguard station, while at present there are only warning signs. Every year hundreds of drowning deaths are recorded in Greece, with the overwhelming majority occurring on unsupervised beaches.

The need is well documented. This summer several bathers died in Crete, with most incidents involving older people. At the same time, on the islands of the Cyclades local bodies are voluntarily extending cover to beaches that do not fall into the compulsory category. The Municipality of Agios Nikolaos has not announced the number of beaches covered or the operating hours of the stations. More from the area on the Agios Nikolaos page. The Municipality of Agios Nikolaos includes popular beaches both in the Gulf of Mirabello and in the wider area of Elounda. The final award is the last stage before the contract is signed and cover begins on the beaches designated as busy. The municipality has not announced whether it plans to extend cover to beaches outside the compulsory category next year.