On July 22, Itoman Police awarded a Certificate of Appreciation to Yuta Arakaki and Koushi Nakata who work on the beach staff of Bibi Beach in Itoman City, for rescuing a man who was drifting off the Itoman coast.

On June 23, Itoman Fire Department received an emergency call from a man reporting that his friend had drifted away while they were snorkeling off the Bibi Beach around 5 p.m. The Fire Department then called the Bibi Beach because it’s the closest beach from the spot where the man reportedly had drifted away.

Arakai and Nakata rushed to the site on jet skis, and about 5:45 p.m. rescued the man who had drifted off Kitanashiro Beach. The man was rescued just about 15 minutes after the fire department received the emergency call. Shinichi Fusimi, the head of the Itoman Police Station praised the two, stating “It’s the result of their daily training that they were able to rescue the man even though the waves were over two meters high.”

Arakaki and Nakata said that the actual rescue was not the same as in the training, and admitted that their efforts were slower than expected. “We will study this case, and try to be more effective in future,” they said.

Itoman Police, Fire Department, medical personnel and beach staff are training together for rescue missions every year, and thrive to make their teamwork stronger with each session.

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