RNLI lifeguards have a busy couple of days at Porthtowan beach
RNLI lifeguards at Porthtowan have had a busy couple of days rescuing two swimmers and a surfer who got into difficulty at the beach earlier this week.
On Tuesday 21 June, two swimmers were quickly pulled out of their depth by a strong rip current. It was a sunny day, but strong offshore winds and a high tide caused the pair to get into difficulty.
RNLI lifeguards Jamie Ward and Kian Harris spotted the male and female waving for assistance and quickly went to their aid.
Jamie swiftly jumped on his rescue board and managed to pull the swimmer from the water and paddle her back to shore. Kian paddled out to assist the second swimmer to make sure he also returned safely to the beach.
On Monday 20 June, a male surfer got in to trouble at around 3.40pm, when he was hit by a big set of waves and was pushed in to a current, taking him around the headland. The male was approximately 300m from the water’s edge when lifeguards spotted he was in danger.
RNLI lifeguards Mark Evans and Kian Harris launched the inshore rescue boat (IRB) and navigated big waves to successfully pick up the surfer.
Drustan Ward, RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor, said: ‘The surfer was rescued from a dangerous position in that incident. The lifeguards reacted quickly to all of the situations and safely got everyone back to shore. We would encourage everyone to swim and surf at lifeguarded beaches, where our lifeguards will be on hand should you get into difficulty. If you need help, raise your hand and a lifeguard will come to your assistance.’
The RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign is running throughout the summer. To find out more about the dangers of the coast and how to stay safe, visit www.rnli.org/respectthewater or search #RespectTheWater on social media.
Notes to editors
• Video footage of the rescue can be downloaded here: http://rnli.org/Pages/Video-Details.aspx?VideoItemID=BXIdyiIs
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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