From October 1, tourists bathing in the sea at Cox’s Bazar will face heightened risks as the only organized lifeguard service is set to shut down due to funding shortages. The UK-based Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which has financed Sea-Safe Lifeguard operations since 2012, is pulling its support by September 30, leaving 27 lifeguards and eight other staff jobless.
Over the last 12 years, Sea-Safe lifeguards have rescued at least 807 tourists from drowning and recovered 65 bodies from the five-kilometer stretch between Kolatoli and Laboni points. Yet, despite saving lives, the organization’s annual operating cost of around Tk 1.5 crore has become unsustainable without continued donor funding.
Local officials acknowledge the looming danger. Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Salahuddin confirmed that the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism instructed hotels to finance lifeguard services. Under this plan, larger (star-rated) hotels would cover the salaries of three lifeguards each, while smaller hotels would fund at least one. However, hotel owners have expressed unwillingness, citing the monthly Tk 14–15 lakh required as unrealistic.
Hotel Resort Owners’ Association leader Mukhim Khan admitted that while lifeguards are vital for tourist safety, “it is doubtful hotels can bear such costs immediately.” As a result, restarting the service in October seems unlikely.
Tourism insiders warn that without lifeguards, Cox’s Bazar’s reputation as a safe beach destination may suffer. Around 6–7 million visitors arrive each year, but most of the 120-kilometer coastline remains unprotected even with the current service.
For the lifeguards themselves, the closure is devastating. Many have served for a decade or more, risking their own lives to save others. “We jump into the waves to save tourists, but now our own lives are in danger,” said lifeguard Md Osman, who has rescued dozens since 2014. Another, Akram Tripura, who supports a family of four, admitted, “With only Tk 20,000 salary, life was already hard. Without this job, I don’t know how I will survive.”
Tourists, too, share the concern. “Without lifeguards, countless lives would have been lost already. If they disappear from October, the consequences will be unthinkable,” said Nasir Uddin, a visitor from Dhaka.
With the shutdown days away, stakeholders agree that only a government-backed initiative can prevent a looming crisis on Bangladesh’s busiest beach. Until then, both tourists and lifeguards remain in limbo.
