ORAL PRESENTATION PORTUGUESE LIFEGUARD’S PERFORMANCE IN AQUATIC RESCUE - EXPLORATORY STUDY Ms. Olga Marques 1,2 , Mr. Henrique Gouveia e Melo 30U1XQR/HLWmRï0U-RVp3DOiFLRV຿'U 'DYLG6]SLOPDQ 4, Mr. Luís Rama 2 1,QVWLWXWR'H6RFRUURVD1iXIUDJRV)DFXOGDGHGH&LrQFLDVGR'HVSRUWRH(GXFDomR)tVLFD8QLYHUVLGDGHGH&RLPEUD&HQWURGH Investigação do Desporto e da Atividade Física (FCDEF/CIDAF), Portugal, 2)DFXOGDGHGH&LrQFLDVGR'HVSRUWRH(GXFDomR)tVLFD Universidade de Coimbra. Centro de Investigação do Desporto e da Atividade Física (FCDEF/CIDAF), Portugal, 3Autoridade Marítima Nacional, Portugal, 4%UD]LOLDQ/LIHVDYLQJ6RFLHW\62%5$6$0HGLFDO'LUHFWRU%UDVLO 5Grupo de Investigatión en Actividades Acuáticas y Socorrismo, Facultad de Ciencias del Deporte y la Educatión Física, Universidade de A Corunã, Espanha Rescue 8, Salon F, October 19, 2017, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM BACKGROUND In compliance with the European recommendations, the Lifeguard (LG) became a regulated professional activity in Portugal in 2012, demanding proper physical and psychological preparation. This study aims to evaluate and monitor the skill level of Portuguese LG on performance of a rescue in ocean beaches. Drowning literature supports, depending on several factors: i.e. water temperature, age of the victim, and other that a framework of 6 to 10 minutes would avoid irreversible neurological impact, leading to a favorable outcome to a drowning victim. METHOD 86 LG (69 males and 17 females) and 57 volunteers victims (37 males and 20 females) participated in this study. During a ZRUNLQJGD\WKH/*VIXO¿OOWZRUHVFXHVLPXODWHGVLWXDWLRQVDWEHJLQQLQJDQGDWWKHHQGRIWKHZRUNGD\7KH/*XVLQJWKH rescue-tube, runs a total distance of 100 meters covering 50 meters in front of his tower, changes direction at right angles DQGUXQVPRUHPHWHUV7KHQKHHQWHUVLQWKHZDWHUDQGSXWVRQÀLSSHUVVZLPPLQJDGLVWDQFHRIPHWHUVDQGUHWXUQWR land towing the victim. The volunteer victim simulates to be unconscious. The total and each time lapse of the protocol were monitored. The environmental conditions (weather and water temperature) and the characteristics of the beach (location, sand W\SHFXUUHQWVWUHQJWKDPSOLWXGH KHLJKW RIWKHZDYH DQGKLVWRWDOWUDLQLQJVHVVLRQVDWWKHEHDFKGXULQJWKH/*FHUWL¿FDWLRQ course were also documented. RESULTS The results showed that 91,9% were able to perform the rescue in less than 6 minutes, and only 2,3% exceeded 10 minutes. 7KHUHZHUHQRVLJQL¿FDQWGLႇHUHQFHVEHWZHHQHYHQWV$QLQYHUVHUHODWLRQVKLSEHWZHHQWKHQXPEHURIRFHDQEHDFKWUDLQLQJ VHVVLRQVGXULQJWKH/*FRXUVHDQGWKHWLPHVSHQWLQWKHUHVFXH $0S 30S ZDVIRXQG CONCLUSION 7KHODUJHPDMRULW\RIWKH/*WKDWSDUWLFLSDWHGLQWKLVVWXG\GHPRQVWUDWHGWKHUHDGLQHVVWRFRQGXFWDIXOOUHVFXHLQOHVVWKDQ 10 minutes. Study demonstrated that more emphasis on ocean beach training in the syllabus of the LG course sessions were important decisions to the result of this excellent LG performance. The requirements of the physical condition should be GHPDQGLQJIRUDQ\DTXDWLFHQYLURQPHQWEXWIRFXVDQGDGDSWHGWRWKHVSHFL¿FQHHGVZKHUH/*LQWHQGWRZRUN 168 WORLD CONFERENCE ON DROWNING PREVENTION 2017.