RNLI lifeguards assist teenagers from raft at South Fistral

Lifeguards on patrol at south Fistral spotted a group of people in the water about 500m out to sea yesterday afternoon, at around 5.10pm. They had entered the water from the rocks on a home-made raft and although they didn’t appear to be in any difficulty, lifeguards decided to go out to investigate.

The rescue water craft was launched from north Fistral by lifeguard George Tickner with lifeguard Mark Oliver from south Fistral joining as crew. On arriving at the scene the lifeguards found three teenagers, two males and one female, afloat on a homemade raft. The group were not in trouble but soon realised they didn’t have a plan to get back to shore safely. The lifeguards transported the three people ashore and dismantled the raft.  Conditions included an onshore wind with 3-4ft surf.

RNLI lifeguard supervisor Lewis Timson said: ‘The teenagers were not in any difficulty but on speaking to the lifeguards, they realised they didn’t know how to get out of the water, as the raft wouldn’t have made it through the surf and they couldn’t get back onto the rocks. The lifeguards brought them ashore and took apart the raft, recovering as much as possible. The remainder of the raft washed ashore with the swell shortly after.

‘The teenagers were very lucky that the lifeguards were able to help them before they found themselves in difficulty and the situation became much more serious. The sea is extremely unpredictable and conditions can change very quickly, so we strongly advise people to take extra care when going out on the water. We wouldn’t recommend people go out to sea on anything other than a sea-worthy vessel, carrying a means for calling for help and wearing a lifejacket. It’s also very important to be aware of the tide, weather and surf conditions when on the water, as these can have a significant impact on your safety.’

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