Seventeen people have drowned on Portuguese beaches since the start of this year's bathing season, according to Portugal's National Maritime Authority (Autoridade Marítima Nacional, AMN). The season, which runs from May to October, is only three months old. Last year's entire season, by comparison, recorded 18 beach deaths.
The death toll would likely be higher were it not for the work of lifeguards and the AMN, whose rescue operations have also surged this year, officials said.
Between May 1 and July 31, the AMN carried out 868 rescues, a 30% increase compared with the same period in 2025, and 1,606 first-aid interventions, up 70% year-on-year, according to the authority's data.
Winter storms reshaping the coast
Commander Ricardo Sá Granja, spokesperson for the AMN, said the figures could be explained by greater demand for beaches and by changes to the shape of the coastline in some areas caused by winter storms. He said channel-like formations, known locally as "agueiros," now exist in places where they were not present before.
Sá Granja said the main cause behind the rise in drowning deaths was incidents at unsupervised river beaches and at locations that are not officially beaches at all, pointing to cases recorded at the Gaia dock and in the Minho river. He said heatwaves had likely driven more people to visit these locations.
Breakdown of the 17 deaths
Of the 17 deaths recorded, five were cases of sudden death and three were drownings at supervised beaches, according to the AMN. Of the remaining nine deaths, five happened at unsupervised river beaches, two occurred at sea beaches outside the bathing season that were unsupervised at the time of the accident, and two took place in unsupervised sea zones.
Choose beaches with supervision, AMN says
Sá Granja advised swimmers to choose beaches with lifeguard supervision whenever possible, to swim in areas close to lifeguards and to follow their instructions as well as flag warnings. He also said people should keep constant watch over children and avoid unnecessary risks, particularly at river beaches they are not familiar with.
