The Southern Pacific Zone of Costa Rica is a beautiful place to live. The area between Dominical and Ojochal is especially appealing to ex-pats and many people have made the big move to this region. There is a genuine sense of small town connectedness here and people work beautifully together on a number of local projects and worthy programs. With the growing number of people in this area, unfortunately the probability of more crime increases. Fortunately, much work has been done to decrease these crimes with the help of the police (Fuerza Publica,) the Osa Municipality, SOMOS (www.somos.cr) and a strong community network in order to prevent a rise in home and vehicle break-ins at our beaches.
There is now in place a SafeBeach Patrol Program with 6 trained youths working weekends and holidays in Marino Ballena National Park, Playa Hermosa South and Dominicalito. In addition, two adults patrol the beach in the National Park every day. The Guardavidas Costa Ballena Lifeguards have trained the participants in the program in basic rescue techniques, how to read ocean conditions and how to communicate with each goers to help prevent crime. In addition to SafeBeach, there is an anonymous reporting application, called Ojos en la Calle that allows anyone to make an immediate incident report from a smartphone. With this new application, the authorities can arrive more quickly to the scene and gather more accurate statistics that help greatly to receive more resources for this area. Our Lifeguards continue to work closely with the SafeBeach Program and the Fuerza Publica to keep us all as safe as possible. Remember, it is easy to support the lifeguard program and these efforts through PayPal. For a donation or a monthly contribution see below. Thank you!
By Beth Sylver
VISIT: http://www.lifeguardscostaballena.com
