CITY LIFEGUARDS TO FLY FLAG IN JAPAN

YOU might think lifeguards on the Glitter Strip have their work cut out patrolling some of Queensland’s busiest beaches.

But two Gold Coast City lifeguards will put their skills to the test when they spend a week watching over manic crowds on the scorching dark sands in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan.

Main Beach guard Luke Ingwersen and Narrowneck guard David Orchard said the beaches will not only be much busier than they’re used to – many of those taking to the water in the Japanese summer will not be particularly strong swimmers.

Mr Ingwersen and Mr Orchard will jet off on Friday to spend a week with Japanese lifeguards as part of the long-running Lifeguard Exchange Program, an element of the Gold Coast’s “friendship (sister city) agreement” with Kanagawa.

“I went six years ago and it was awesome. They have really big crowds and sometimes the Japanese aren’t as good at swimming as most Australians,” Mr Ingwersen said.

“In Japan, their attention to detail is incredible. They’re very polite, they’re very structured in their set up and last time I learnt a lot from how professional they are the whole time. They wouldn’t sit down for their whole shift.”

Mr Ingwersen said the crowds struck him during his last visit: “It was just incredibly busy everyday ... you couldn’t actually see any sand for as far as you could see.”.

“You didn’t want to blink. There was just a lot going on,” he said.

The exchange upskills lifeguards and allows training in diverse environments. It has been run annually from 1995 to 2010 and biennially since 2010.

Eight lifeguard groups from Kanagawa have taken part.