Life on Death Beach LOS DELFINES The Life Guards, Zipolite

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			The Lifeguards at Zipolite are called "Los Delfines", Spanish for "The Dolphins". They have been patroling the beaches of Zipolite since 1997, before which the group was called "Los Busos" under different leadership. Until '97, however, the group had never received formal training in water rescue or CPR. In 1997, a representative from the United States Lifesaving Association trained the dozen or so men and boys and provided them with professional equipment. Since then, the number of drowning deaths in Zipolite has dropped every year. 2008 was the first year in the memorable history of the beach that no lives were lost.
					The tragedy of the lifeguards of Zipolite is their precarious balance between being lifesaving heroes and under, or unemployed beach bums. Even with professional training and equipment, the municipal authorities continue to throw their hands up in helplessness and blame lack of funds on the state. Local authorities have consistently helped with sporadic donations of equipment and money, but never enough to constitute a living salary for even one lifeguard, let alone for the whole troop. For these reasons, Los Delfines has and continues to change membership year to year, and unmanned beaches are not uncommon during low tourist seasons.My interactions with the townspeople indicated a general approval of the lifeguards' abilities and actions as human beings and as protectors of Zipolite's tourism. Visit the lifeguards website here.
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