Palanga beach swimming ban: 'This spot is critical,' says head lifeguard

Lifeguards in Palanga, Lithuania, are issuing stern warnings about a specific section of the beach where swimming is strictly prohibited. The danger lies in hidden underwater pits and sharp stones, with whirlpools forming under certain conditions between rocks and bridge pilings.

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Because whirlpools form in that place and it is very pitted, there are sharp stones, it is the most common place for drownings. Just like it is forbidden to swim at the pier in Šventoji, this place in Palanga is critical and forbidden to swim in.

Kajus Pirožnikas, the chief lifeguard, explained that this area is a "critical" spot and a common site for drownings, drawing a parallel to a similarly dangerous location near a pier in Šventoji. He noted that whirlpools can form when strong winds blow towards the shore, but the treacherous pits remain a constant hazard.

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There must be strong winds and currents for whirlpools to form there. However, the pits remain for a long time.

Pirožnikas recounted his own experience searching for a child who drowned in the area, describing the sudden deep pits he encountered. He emphasized that the child's body was found in a very deep spot near the rocks. A witness, Vytautas, also shared his harrowing experience, describing how he felt a submerged person near the bridge pilings, which he noted were slippery. He mentioned that other people were in the water at the time, and that the current near the bridge could be disorienting.

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I didn't even have time to take off my glasses.

Despite warning signs and barriers, people continue to enter the water in this forbidden zone. The article highlights a recent tragedy where two brothers drowned, with one found clinging to a bridge piling and the other's body discovered trapped between rocks after an extensive search.

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I felt him between my legs. He slipped past me and then... under the stone.