TANYA WELCH is making a name for herself in a male-dominated career field. Her physical strength and agility are on par with those of her male counterparts, but her feminine qualities give her an advantage.
Tanya says anything a man can do a woman can do just as well and this drive has propelled her to prove that a female can be the best lifeguard there is.
The beach is one of the most beautiful and breathtaking places on earth yet it could be one of the most dangerous. Tanya said that contrary to popular belief a lifeguard’s duty is not solely about what occurs in the sea – the person in the tower actually has the responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone in the area surrounding the beach.
She explained that danger doesn’t only present itself in the water, but also on the sand or in the nearby street.
She said there were instances where she helped civilians who were having heart attacks or heatstrokes on the seashore.
Tanya has been a lifeguard for 14 years and though this was not the first profession she pursued, she was automatically drawn to it when the opportunity arose.
“When I was a little girl, my family lived in Oistins and my father enjoyed carrying my older brother and I to Miami Beach.
“Every evening after primary school he would religiously take my brother and I to the beach. I remembered my mum quarrelling with him asking him why he always took us to the beach straight after school. She preferred him to bring us home and let us change, but we always came home wet after swimming in our school clothes.
“My brother and I really enjoyed the time we spent in the water with him, and walking up Oistins Hill afterwards was fun,” she said.
However, Tanya said her father doesn’t like the sea now, which she finds odd since she spent the majority of her childhood with him at the beach.
The former Graydon Sealy Secondary School student said that after working in the hotel industry for a few years she saw an advertisement in the newspaper about the occupation she holds close to her heart.
“I always liked swimming. I competed at primary and secondary school, and when I saw the ad in the paper, I said it was something I could do, so I seized the opportunity.
“Training was for three months, five days a week. It was predominately about physical training and simulations.”
She said that training was hard at first, but the competitiveness among the 12 members in her class was the right determination she needed.
“I learnt how to correct my strokes and sprint with proper technique. We learnt life skills and we were taught releases and holds and defence techniques.
“At times, training was strenuous, but the 12 of us persisted. There were two females in the group, including myself, and we handled the guys well.
“Every week we had different challenges. I remember telling the guys that I would beat them and the guys sometimes would tell the boss that if I beat them they would give up on the programme.”
Tanya eventually graduated top waterman and top medical of her class. She said more women are becoming interested in the industry.
She represented Barbados in 2003 in the St Lucian Lifeguard Championship and told Easy that experience was “loads of fun”.
“Competitions like that are not held that regular because of funding, but that experience was amazing. We competed in run-swim obstacle courses and seminars. The members of the Barbados team met and interacted with the people – I am still in contact with some of the St Lucians I met, and when I travel to Trinidad, I hit up some of them as well.”
The 35-year-old was not always stationed at Dover Beach, Christ Church. She was once at Rockley, then Dover, Royal Pavilion, Browne’s Beach, Brandons Beach and then back at Dover. Tanya prefers that location because of the relationships she has with the people.
“Dover is my family. When I come to work, everyone is, like, ‘Morning T’. The locals and tourists look forward to seeing me. When they don’t see me for a couple of days, they call and ask for me.”
Paying attention to the coloured flags along the beach is important and obeying what they signify is something Tanya said both tourists and locals find difficult.
She said yellow means caution while red means no swimming. She added that visitors are sometimes offended when she has to tell them they cannot swim in a particular area but she assures them she is only looking out for their safety.
Recently, Tanya has been described as a hero on Facebook. On December 8, she helped save a puppy from a cruel fate.
“The puppy used to walk under the tower before the incident and run under the tourists’ chairs. I would also play with him on occasions.
“There was a guy out here that would walk around the beach – sometimes talking to himself.
“That day, I was talking to some tourists and he took the puppy by the tail and swing it into the sea. To be unkind to an animal is a big no-no for tourists and his action drew a lot of attention. He then went in the sea after the pup, shouting loudly that he would hurt it in some way.
“A woman and I went in after him, and she snatched the puppy from him and almost fell. While tackling him I had to help her and make sure she was okay. By then the police arrived and dealt with him.
“The woman came to me with the puppy all wrapped up and asked me what to do with him. I decided to take him to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).”
Tanya did not want to leave the pup at the RSPCA over the holidays, so she took him home. Her next-door neighbour’s daughter fell in love with the pup and adopted him straight away.
“I’m just happy the puppy was saved and is now in safe hands,” she said.
This is just one reward of Tanya’s job that leaves a smile on her face. (SB)
