Rescue
A lifesaving instinct
Years of lifeguarding teach you to trust your gut. And Lois Kemp sensed something was wrong with two youngsters swimming in the sea.
As people across the globe shared real-life stories to mark World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July 2025, another was about to unfold in front of beachgoers at Skegness. The third heatwave of the year had hit the seaside resort, so the beach was packed.
‘It was my seventh season there. My fifth as a senior RNLI lifeguard,’ says Lois. ‘I was on a patrol, on my rescue board, and there was a lot going on. I’d already been out and was on my way back to shore. Another lifeguard was about to come down to relieve me and take up the next patrol shift.’
But as Lois made her way back in, she spotted two little girls in the water between the red-and-yellow flags. ‘One of them was about 6 years old,’ she says. ‘The other looked a bit older, maybe 10. I think the younger one was following her.’ Lois stopped to watch them from the shoreline and could see that they were starting to drift out to sea. Conditions were good but there was a gentle breeze running, creating a slight chop. ‘I just got this inkling they were going to need help,’ she says.
Lois kept an eye on the girls and could see that they were now beginning to drift even further away from the beach. She remembers thinking: ‘You know what, I’ll go back in. I can double check on them and I’ll tell them: “You should probably head back in, girls. It’s getting a bit deep here”.’
By now, the pair were about 50m out. Lois trusted her instincts and started paddling towards them on a rescue board. But, as she reached the halfway mark, she saw both their heads going under the surface. ‘Then I paddled as fast as I could,’ says Lois. ‘That can be frustrating sometimes because, no matter how fast you paddle, you’re still watching events unfold before your eyes. You need to keep an eye on exactly where people are and where they’re going. You’re never quite sure what’ll happen and if you’ll make it in time.’
When Lois arrived at the scene, the younger girl had disappeared beneath the surface. ‘It was the first time I’d seen anyone completely sink underwater,’ she says. ‘I’ve saved people who had waves continually breaking over their heads but not fully submerged like this. I saw an arm pop out of the water and I grabbed it. I pulled the younger girl on the board first, then the older one.’ Lois then paddled the youngsters back to the beach.
‘I had my radio on me and called Liam, a lifeguard supervisor, to let him know what was going on,’ she says. It had all happened so quickly, it was the first opportunity Lois had to check in with him. ‘He’d been expecting me to come off patrol and hand over to someone else. But he could see through his binoculars that I had two kids on the front of my board. I said: “Look what happened here!”’
Back on the golden sands of Skegness Beach, the lifeguards checked the girls over and deemed it safe to send them on their way. Luckily, neither had inhaled any seawater. Their anxious mum was extremely relieved to get the girls back. ‘She was really overwhelmed, but was very grateful,’ says Lois.
Reflecting on the rescue, Lois adds: ‘I feel quite proud that my gut feeling was right. I’m so glad I reacted the way I did, pre-empting the situation and getting there in time. It was a good outcome for the day.’
‘There’s no other job like it’
Lois explains why she loves lifeguarding: ‘It may sound like a cliché but I enjoy helping people – and working outside in a solid team. When you come away from a successful rescue or first aid incident, it’s a fantastic feeling. Some people may come home and think: “Rough day with those spreadsheets.” As lifeguards, we sometimes get home thinking: “I saved a life today.” There’s no other job like it.’
Hear more from Lois in episode 3 of our We Are Lifeguards podcast.
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