Open water swimmer rescued by RNLI lifeguards in Boscombe
Less than a week into the summer service at Boscombe, RNLI lifeguards have made their first rescue yesterday (5 May) when a swimmer found them self in trouble under Boscombe pier.
While carrying out a patrol of the area on a jet ski Dominic Richard, one of the charity’s lifeguards at Boscombe noticed a swimmer under the pier. Knowing there was a strong ground swell Dominic moved close to give the swimmer some advice, but on closer inspection quickly realised the swimmer was in trouble.
Negotiating a small area in which to carry out the rescue Dominic moved as close as possible, knowing that time was of the essence, and he didn’t have long to act. After safely pulling the man out of the water and back to dry land the lifeguards were happy he was ok, but a bit panicked.
Mike Winter, Lifeguard Supervisor for Boscombe said: ‘The rescue was a great job done by Dom, his training has obviously paid off and been put to good use – it was a technically difficult rescue to carry out. ‘
With warm weather on its way over the next few days the RNLI would always advise anyone planning a trip to the coast to respect the water. Red and yellow flags are put out by lifeguards to mark out the safest swimming area; the charity would encourage any swimmer to stay inside the flagged area.
Mike continued: ‘We are expecting the beaches in Dorset to be pretty busy over the next few days, so we would encourage any visitors to the beach to come and say hi to the lifeguards. We’re always happy to help and offer any advice about the conditions of the water and how to have the safest day possible at the beach. The sea can be dangerously unpredictable so we’d really encourage people to swim between the red and yellow flags.’
Key facts about the RNLI
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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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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