Last Updated on June 18, 2020, 11:04 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Mia Benjamin has become the first female lifeguard to work for the Grenada Lifeguards. With 15 male lifeguards as their lifeguard staff, they were pleased to announce this recent hire of the first female lifeguard.
Mia has come to the position of a Lifeguard with a strong swimming background.
Mia is a National swimmer for Grenada, and she attended the Youth Olympics in Nanjing in 2014. She is currently a swimmer as well as a swim coach for the Sailfish Swim Club.
Benjamin loves her job and talks fondly about how good the other lifeguards are to her.
She said that she gets hassled on the beach by boys who are pretending to drown at times so that they can be saved by a cute lifeguard or someone telling her that a woman should not be a lifeguard. Still, Mia is more than qualified for the job with the second-fastest time of all the Grenada Lifeguards for her swim/run time and with six years as a lifeguard.
The owner of Grenada Lifeguards, Deb Eastwood, said that he needs excellent swimmers, and with proper use of the rescue tube, the person does not need to weight 180 pounds to save someone from drowning in the water.
He added that Mia could rescue a heavy drowning man or woman because she would quickly get to them and use her rescue tube to bring them to shore properly whether they are unconscious or conscious.
Eastwood also said that the ability to use the rescue tube, staying focused on the beach, quickly getting to someone who is drowning, and to provide CPR and First Aid effectively are vital elements in the training of the lifeguards.
Benjamin has gotten to know some of her beach walkers and swimmers well and has been gifted (along with other lifeguards) mangoes in the morning.
Sometimes Benjamin and Johnny Thompson, another lifeguard, start their mornings off with a prayer and the early swimmers come and join in. Community interaction has been pleasant.
Grenada Lifeguards is providing Lifeguarding services to the Ministry of Tourism for Grand Anse and Bathway beaches. The lifeguards are all Red Cross certified, and many of them had advanced training by the National Lifesaving Society of Canada in December, before beginning work in January.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
