RNLI lifeguards at Tynemouth Longsands rescue stranded father and son

At around 2:30pm, the lifeguard team noticed through the binoculars a father and son stranded on a paddleboard out at sea. The duo had been paddle boarding from Cullercoats beach to Longsands when a strong offshore wind swept them out to sea.

After liaising with RNLI Cullercoats, Tynemouth Longsands lifeguards Harry Fitzgerald and Jess Ward requested for the inshore rescue boat (IRB) as the pair had drifted over 400m out to sea.

Luckily, when the Tynemouth Longsands team reached the paddleboarders they were calm, but grateful to see the two lifeguards. Harry and Jess assisted the the young boy into the IRB with his father on the paddleboard holding onto the side of the boat.

The team returned the paddleboarders 50m offshore of Cullercoats and assessed them and found that neither of the duo required medical attention.

The Tynemouth Longsands lifeguards noticed the consistent offshore winds from the Cullercoats area so continued patrolling the water in the IRB throughout the day, rescuing multiple paddleboarders who had also been swept out to sea.

Lead Lifeguard Supervisor Sean Mills praised the paddleboarders for choosing a lifeguarded beach: ‘It was brilliant that the pair chose to paddleboard between our lifeguarded beaches. Our lifeguard team at Tynemouth Longsands were immediately there to help as soon as they found themselves in difficulty.

'Weather conditions can make paddleboarding dangerous, with strong offshore winds quickly pushing you out to sea. It is essential that beachgoers check their local beach’s weather conditions before visiting.’

For more information on how to stay safe this summer, please visit: RNLI Beach Safety – Top Five Tips To Stay Safe By The Sea

Notes to editors

RNLI Tynemouth Longsands service has been operating since 2001. To learn more about the lifeguarded beach go to: Tynemouth Longsands Beach - Lifeguarded beaches (rnli.org)

Lead Lifeguard Supervisor Sean Mills is available for interview.

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