Da Nang beach swimming from October 1: lifeguard hours change, and the calmest-looking spot is actually the most dangerous

Da Nang has something that beach reviews almost never mention: from October 1st, the whole city switches to its winter sea schedule. It's not because of the cold weather — it's because of the waves.

And the most ironic thing about Da Nang's sea this season: the stretch of water that looks the calmest, the flattest, with the fewest breaking waves — is exactly the spot you shouldn't step into.

Rescue hours change from October 1st

The Management Board of Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang's tourist beaches divides duty shifts according to two seasons:

• Summer (15/3 – 30/9): 4:30 – 19:00

• Winter (Oct 1 – Mar 14): 5:00 AM – 6:30 PM

That means starting next week, you'll have 30 fewer minutes in the afternoon compared to now. And in October, it gets dark even earlier — by 6:00 PM it's already dim. A lot of people go into the water at 6:15 PM thinking "it's still light out," not realizing that no one is watching the shore anymore.

A simple principle: when a rescue call comes in, we go. There's no exception here worth making.

Rescue staff wear yellow-red uniforms. If you look around and don't see any yellow-red uniform, that beach currently has no lifeguard on duty.

Which flag should be lowered, and which should not

• Green flag — safe zone, swimming allowed.

• Red flag / black flag — danger warning, swimming prohibited. Not a recommendation.

The safe zone is also marked off with floating buoys. In My Khe, this area is about 850m long, stretching from Bosoom Coffee to My Khe restaurant. Swimming beyond the line of buoys puts you out of the lifeguards' reach.

A little-known detail: after the 2025 storm, the watchtower and loudspeaker system at My Khe were damaged. A weak speaker means the audio warning may not reach your ears. Don't wait to be reminded — check the flag yourself.

The calmest-looking place is the most dangerous one

This is the most important part of the lesson.

A rip current (locals often call it a whirlpool) is a current that flows backward from the shore out to sea. It forms when the mass of water pushed toward shore by waves seeks a way to escape — and it escapes through a narrow gap.

Signs to recognize, seen from the bank looking down:

• A patch of calm, flat water lies between two zones of white-capped waves — the waves on both sides crash and foam white, yet that one stretch remains perfectly still.

• The water in that streak is darker (because it's deeper).

• There is foam, seaweed, and murky sand drifting from the shore out toward the sea.

• The water's surface rippled noticeably differently on the two sides.

Và đây là lý do nó nguy hiểm: mắt thường đọc "êm" là "an toàn". Cha mẹ dắt con chọn đúng chỗ đó vì tưởng ít sóng. Dòng chảy đó có thể cuốn nhanh hơn tốc độ bơi của một vận động viên.

In February alone this year in Da Nang: on February 15, two students were swept away by the waves, and one of them did not survive; on February 21, three tourists from Dak Lak were caught in an accident, and two of them died. Both incidents occurred when the sea was rough, with strong rip currents pulling away from shore.

If you are swept far away

Read this passage carefully once, because at that point you won't have time to look anything up:

1. Don't swim against the current back to shore. You're swimming against a current stronger than yourself. Exhaustion is what causes death, not the current itself.

2. Stay calm and float. The outbound current is pulling you away from the shore, not down to the bottom.

3. Swim parallel to the shore — to the left or right. The current is usually only a few dozen meters wide. Get out of it before swimming back in.

4. If you can't swim, raise one hand and wave it while shouting, keep your body floating on your back.

If you're standing on the shore and see someone in trouble: shout for help, throw a life buoy — don't jump in. In most double drownings, both the rescuer and the person being rescued end up going under.

Things you should absolutely never do

Don't swim after lifeguard hours — even if it's still light out, even if the beach is still crowded.

• Don't swim on days when the sea is rough. When there is a tropical depression or storm, the Management Board suspends all sea-bathing activities and may close the road up to Son Tra Peninsula. A ban is a ban — not "well, it doesn't look that big yet.

• Do not swim outside the buoy line, even if you are a strong swimmer.

• Don't drink alcohol and then go swimming.

Don't leave children out of arm's reach. Not out of sight — out of reach.

• Don't trust animal-shaped swim rings. Round floats and arm floaties aren't life-saving devices; if a current comes, it will drift away along with the child.

Where should I bathe/swim this season

Da Nang has two coastal routes equipped with lifeguard/rescue services: Hoang Sa – Vo Nguyen Giap – Truong Sa (the My Khe route, facing the East Sea) and Nguyen Tat Thanh (located within Da Nang Bay).

The difference lies in the terrain: the My Khe route faces the northeast monsoon wind head-on, so from October onward the waves are noticeably bigger. The Nguyen Tat Thanh route sits deep within the bay, shielded by Hai Van and Son Tra — it's usually calmer at the same time.

But the principle stays the same in both places: if there's a green flag and someone dressed in yellow-red, then go down. Otherwise, go have coffee.

Da Nang is still beautiful in October–November. It's just that this kind of beauty should be admired from the shore.

📞 Da Nang Tourist Support Center: (+84) 236 3550 111