On Monday around 6.30pm, beachgoers at the Torà beach in Paguera saw a man in the sea who was floating and unconscious. They managed to get him out of the water, while others shouted for help.
An off-duty lifeguard, who had finished for the day, was on his way to get a bus home. He ran back to the scene and started resuscitation techniques, and the 75-year-old German tourist regained his pulse. Paramedics later stabilised him and he was taken to hospital.
The lifeguards union says that incidents such as this demonstrate the need for longer lifeguard service hours, especially on beaches like Torà, which is "high risk". The union is also critical of the fact that there are not signs with information about the service schedule.
Three weeks ago, there was an incident at Can Pere Antoni beach in Palma when lifeguards who weren't on duty saved the life of a woman. They had fortunately arrived early for the morning shift.