Oslo scraps lifeguard service at nearly all beaches ahead of summer

Oslo will remove lifeguards from all but one of its public beaches this summer due to budget cuts, sparking warnings that lives could be lost, Dagbladet reports.

The city’s Environment Agency (Bymiljøetaten) is cutting 32 million kroner from its budget as part of a broader 1 billion kroner savings plan for 2026. As a result, lifeguard services will be eliminated at all beaches except Sørenga in central Oslo.

Tamina Sherrifdeen Rauf, the Labour Party’s spokesperson on beach policy, condemned the decision, calling it a “life-threatening cut” by the Conservative Party-led city government.

“Drowning happens silently, quickly, and brutally,” she told Dagbladet. “Without lifeguards, small accidents can turn into tragedies before anyone notices. This is a risk we cannot accept.”

Popular swimming spots such as Hvervenbukta, Ingierstrand, Huk, and Operastranda—all of which attract large crowds annually—will no longer have lifeguards on duty. Sherrifdeen Rauf highlighted Hvervenbukta as particularly vulnerable, noting that children in the surrounding Søndre Nordstrand district have lower swimming proficiency than in other parts of the city.

“Removing lifeguards from beaches where people can’t swim is a recipe for disaster,” she said.

The Labour Party argues that the 4.4 million kroner saved by cutting lifeguards is negligible compared to other budget priorities, including a 600 million kroner tax reduction for owners of the city’s most expensive homes.

“We’re talking about small change in the grand scheme,” Sherrifdeen Rauf said. “Is saving lives really not worth 4.4 million kroner to the Conservatives?”

In response, the Environment Agency acknowledged the cuts but stated that lifeguard services were never a legal requirement and were relatively costly. The agency noted that Oslo was the only municipality in Norway to provide such services, which had previously been limited to the five most visited beaches.

“The probability of fatal drowning accidents at these locations is assessed as low,” the agency said in a statement, citing close cooperation between emergency services—including the fire department, police, and ambulance services—for water safety.

The agency also pointed to ongoing measures to improve water safety, such as installing new rescue equipment, upgrading existing facilities, and developing new swimming areas in line with national drowning prevention guidelines.

Despite the cuts, the agency emphasized that parents and adults retain primary responsibility for supervising children’s safety at beaches, regardless of lifeguard presence.