Peter Gabriel wades in on lifeguard debate at Vancouver’s beaches - BERITAJA

One of music’s about successful artists is wading into the statement complete lifeguards astatine Vancouver beaches.

Peter Gabriel, primitively portion of Genesis, mightiness ne'er person reached the “Big Time” successful 1986 if it had not been for a Vancouver lifeguard 3 years earlier.

In a Facebook post, Gabriel said that he was successful Vancouver successful 1983, opening for David Bowie, erstwhile he went windsurfing astatine Spanish Banks.

“The upwind sewage excessively beardown for maine truthful I folded up the sail arsenic I’ve been taught to do and swam toward the shore,” Gabriel wrote.

“However, I sewage caught up successful the rip tide and ended up going retired a batch faster than I could aquatics backmost in.”

Gabriel said he took disconnected his orangish vest and started waving it and the lifeguards connected the formation swam retired and saved him.

He said he was capable to do the show that nighttime pinch Bowie astatine BC Place.

Gabriel added that he is alarmed that immoderate of the lifeguards whitethorn beryllium removed arsenic the Vancouver Park Board is considering cutting the number of lifeguards connected work by half, meaning they would beryllium removed from Trout Lake, Sunset Beach, Third Beach and Spanish Banks.

A erstwhile lifeguard told BERITAJA that lifeguards do much than conscionable watch the water.

“We person aggregate things that occur, thing from pedophiles that lifeguards catch, to the acquisition galore times a time to thief group beryllium safe,” Andrea Nicholson said.

“Children that get stuck connected the sandbar pinch the tide coming successful about them, making judge that we propulsion them disconnected that successful time, conscionable being alert and doing the 360 constantly.”

Gabriel said he is an “enthusiastic protagonist from the U.K.” of keeping the lifeguards astatine Vancouver’s beaches.

BERITAJA reached retired to the Vancouver Park Board but did not perceive backmost by deadline.