Surfer rescued from the waves at St Ouen’s
On Friday afternoon, lifeguards spotted a surfer in trouble at St Ouen's Bay.
The surfer had been enjoying the water at around 3.15pm when a wave broke on him and snapped the leash on his board. As the surfer had stayed in the lifeguarded zones, he was easily spotted by lifeguards there who responded quickly and were able to return him to shore on their rescue board. The casualty was exhausted by the time he arrived back at the beach and, had the lifeguards not acted so promptly, the outcome could easily have been much worse.
Kris Heron, Senior Lifeguard on duty said, “As soon as we retrieved the surfer to the beach I performed standard casualty care procedures to make sure he didn’t require attendance by ambulance. Luckily, apart from being cold and tired, he responded well so I explained the risk of secondary drowning and advised him to see a doctor. We train regularly for situations like this and we go home happy at the end of the day if we’ve been able to keep the beach safe. We hope to see our surfer out enjoying the waves again very soon.”
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
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.