Speaking to Lusa, the president of the Portuguese Federation of Lifeguards (FEPONS), Alexandre Tadeia, said that, “at this time, most profiles for lifeguards are not yet available”.

“We always have the big problem of the start of the summer season being at a time when the profile of Portuguese lifeguards is not yet available. We realised that the majority are students,” he pointed out.

The president of FEPONS explained that the difficulty in recruiting Portuguese professionals “has been a constant” and that the solution found in previous years was to resort to immigrants.

“In previous years, we have managed to resolve the issue with foreign lifeguards, but with that change in the legislation on expression of interest, we do not know at this time how things will go,” he highlighted.

For Alexandre Tadeia, the best way to overcome this difficulty will be to create an incentive scheme for the profession.

“There will always be those who have to work only seasonally, but there must be incentives, especially in relation to tuition fees, because, as the majority are students, that is what will have an impact,” he argued.

The opening of this year's summer season, which will be done progressively, took place on Thursday, in the municipalities of Cascais and Oeiras, in the district of Lisbon, and in the municipalities of Porto Moniz and Porto Santo, in the archipelago of Madeira.

In a second phase, starting on May 15th, the bathing season is scheduled to open on the beaches of the municipality of Albufeira (Faro district) and, in a third phase, starting on June 1st, the bathing waters of the centre and south of the country.

Most of the beaches in the north of the country will open from June 15th.

In inland waters, the beginning of the bathing season occurs between June and July.

The schedule is defined every year in an ordinance, published in the Official Gazette of the Union, which identifies the bathing waters and the definition of the respective season, considering until then that, at a national level, it runs from May 1st to October 30th.

Between these dates, city councils determine when the bathing season begins and ends in their territory, with some choosing to start earlier and end later.