A 26-year-old French woman was rescued by members of the SeaWatch project on Thursday night, June 19, in a rocky area with difficult access known as Praínha, in Vila do Conde.
The National Maritime Authority (AMN) reported on Friday, June 20, that they received an alert at 8:40 p.m. from locals nearby.
SeaWatch project members and lifeguards from the ‘Os Golfinhos’ association were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Upon arrival, the rescuers found the victim with some abrasions, unable to return to the land due to the rising tide. They successfully rescued the woman, bringing her to the beach where she received assistance.
The number of drownings in 2025 is already among the highest
Forty-nine people drowned in mainland Portugal by the end of May, the third-highest figure since 2017, according to the Drowning Observatory report by the Portuguese Federation of Lifeguards (FEPONS).
The FEPONS emphasized, recently cited by news agency Lusa, that with 49 deaths recorded this year, it already ranks as the third worst since 2017, only surpassed by 2024 (58) and 2022 (52) in the same period.
According to the federation, most deaths in the first five months of the year occurred in rivers (22), followed by the sea (19), wells (5), aqueducts (1), public pools (1), and private pools (1). Most drowning victims were men (64.3%) aged between 25 and 29 years.
In May, FEPONS highlighted the importance of reinforcing preventive measures and water risk education, especially with summer approaching, a historically critical period.
This year’s bathing season features ten more supervised beaches, totaling 605, the government announced earlier this month, urging the public to follow safety guidelines.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Energy, 740 beaches have been officially recognized, with 605 monitored by lifeguards—ten more than last year. In 2025, Portugal has identified 673 bathing waters, nine more than in 2024, which can include more than one beach.
Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho stated that next year, Portuguese beaches will have off-season surveillance to try to prevent drowning deaths.
“We are also reviewing the model so that next year, outside the summer season, there are more flexible teams, more during weekends, depending on the weather, to ensure year-round surveillance,” Maria da Graça Carvalho said.
Recalling that this year there were “deaths outside the summer season at unsupervised beaches,” the minister expressed a desire to “prevent this from happening again or at least minimize the possibility.”
