It was supposed to be a quiet end to the day. At 18:40 on Saturday, lifeguard Thodoris Konstantinidis had already clocked out and returned to Agia Marina—this time in beachwear, not rescue gear. But when he spotted a panic forming in the water, instinct kicked in before reason had time to argue.
Five swimmers, ignoring the posted red flag warning, had been swept away by powerful currents. Three were rescued immediately by Konstantinidis. The remaining two—a man and a woman from Chania—had drifted dozens of meters from shore and were visibly struggling, swallowing water and beginning to sink.
Without equipment and off the clock, he dove in again—and pulled them out just in time.
“Had he shown up two or three minutes later, we would have had two drownings,” said Pavlos Lytinakis, the municipality’s lifeguard program coordinator.
The two severely affected swimmers were given oxygen on the scene and rushed by ambulance to Chania General Hospital. Thankfully, both are now out of danger.
Red Flags, Raised Voices, and the Price of Sunburned Stubbornness
Despite the drama, Lytinakis says this is not an isolated case. Earlier that same day, on-duty lifeguards rescued four more swimmers in similar conditions. And this pattern, he says, is dangerously frequent.
“When there’s a red flag, we regularly see people—Greeks especially—complaining, yelling at lifeguards, even threatening them with lawsuits,” he explained. “They demand to swim, accuse us of ruining their vacation, and insist we’re overreacting. One person even asked for my full ID so they could report me.”
But Saturday’s incident highlighted just how fast a situation can spiral. The sea does not wait for debate, and currents do not care if you booked your room months in advance.
“Today, it was luck,” Lytinakis added. “Thodoris knows that stretch well—it’s his post. He happened to be there. But what about tomorrow? Who will be lucky then?”
Official statement (Pavlos Lytinakis):
“The red flag is not a mood—it’s a matter of safety. Today we got lucky. Tomorrow? Who knows,” said It was supposed to be a quiet end to the day. At 18:40 on Saturday, lifeguard Thodoris Konstantinidis had already clocked out and returned to Agia Marina—this time in beachwear, not rescue gear. But when he spotted a panic forming in the water, instinct kicked in before reason had time to argue.
Five swimmers, ignoring the posted red flag warning, had been swept away by powerful currents. Three were rescued immediately by Konstantinidis. The remaining two—a man and a woman from Chania—had drifted dozens of meters from shore and were visibly struggling, swallowing water and beginning to sink.
Without equipment and off the clock, he dove in again—and pulled them out just in time.
“Had he shown up two or three minutes later, we would have had two drownings,” said Pavlos Lytinakis, the municipality’s lifeguard program coordinator.
The two severely affected swimmers were given oxygen on the scene and rushed by ambulance to Chania General Hospital. Thankfully, both are now out of danger.