The days between Palm and Easter Sundays are often the busiest of the year for Red Cross rescue brigades in Costa Rica. That is when thousands of people will leave their homes and head to the mountains, the beaches and the countryside. To this end, the Red Cross has deployed 1,200 rescuers in strategic locations during Holy Week, and one particular emergency they will be paying attention to is drowning.

According to news report filed by Karla Barquero of online news daily CRHoy.com, 27 people have fatally drowned in Costa Rica thus far in 2014. January was a particularly deadly month in this regard with 11 drowning victims reported. Many of the victims were foreign visitors from Canada and the United States whose vacations fatally ended at popular beach spots, but there have also been sad reports of local children drowning in rivers and swimming pools while on vacation.

The Red Cross saw a significant reduction in drownings during Holy Week last year: Three drownings were reported in 2013 while eight were reported in 2012. For this year, the Red Cross in Costa Rica has issued the following recommendation to people who will visit the beaches, particularly those in the Central Pacific Coast and Guanacaste:

• Do not enter the ocean while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Keep a constant eye on children.
• Do not swim close to rocky sections of the beach, reef breaks or piers.
• Do not enter the ocean after a heavy meal.
• Do not attempt a risky rescue unless you are properly trained to do so.
• If there are no lifeguards on site, call 911 or ask surfers and local fishermen for assistance.

On its Facebook Timeline, the Red Cross in Costa Rica has shared a poster with the tips above (in Spanish) for hotels, bars and restaurants to print and post during Holy Week. Many drownings at the beach are caused by rip currents; to this effect, visitors unfamiliar with surf conditions should ask surfers and locals.