Peak season comes to an end at RNLI lifeguarded beaches in Scotland
On Sunday 18 August, five RNLI Lifeguarded beaches in Fife finished their patrols for the 2024 peak season, as the school summer holidays come to an end.
RNLI lifeguards have been busy preventing and responding to incidents along the Scottish coastline such as windsurfers and jet skiers getting caught in offshore winds. The RNLI lifeguard team have said goodbye to the following beaches until next year:
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Elie Harbour
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East Sands, St Andrews
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West Sands, St Andrews
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Leven
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Burntisland
But although peak season has ended, they haven’t quite finished yet and you can still catch RNLI lifeguards on service 10am to 6pm on the following beaches:
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Broughty Ferry will have lifeguards every day until 1 September
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Silver Sands drops to weekends only from 18 August until 29 September
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Coldingham Bay will have lifeguards every day until 1 September. Then drops to weekends until 29 September
On the beaches, RNLI lifeguards play a crucial role in keeping everyone safe, such as Dylan and Euan, who noticed two jet skiers drifting in the strong winds at Leven beach on Friday 9 August. The casualties initially thought their jet skis were anchored off the beach but soon realised they were drifting. The casualties tried to swim back to their crafts but were struggling in the strong offshore winds.
Dylan and Euan jumped into action and grabbed their rescue boards to reach the casualties. They retrieved them from the sea and took them back to shore, before contacting HM Coastguard who tasked Anstruther RNLI lifeboat to assist with retrieving the unmanned jet skis, so no further incidents occurred.
The RNLI lifeguards helped to visually assist the lifeboat crew in locating the jet skis. Once they were retrieved, the decision was made to take them to Elie Harbour where Senior RNLI Lifeguard Kelly and Lifeguard Maisie were on hand to assist with keeping the public safe whilst the lifeboat dropped the jet skis around the pier.
This was a great incident involving Leven RNLI lifeguards, Leven Mobile Coastguard Team, Aberdeen Coastguard Ops room, Anstruther RNLI lifeboat and Elie RNLI lifeguards.
On Friday 28 June, RNLI Lifeguards Natasha and Ewan spotted a windsurfer off the beach at East Sands in St Andrews, who looked to be in difficulty in the offshore winds.
Natasha quickly paddled out on the rescue board to offer assistance.
Due to the worsening conditions, the decision was made to request assistance from Broughty Ferry RNLI Lifeboat Station who came and assisted the windsurfer and Natasha back to the beach safely.
RNLI Lifeguards Jake and Ruaridh were alerted to a dog walker on Saturday 15 June who was experiencing occasional seizures.
Both lifeguards treated the casualty with their RNLI casualty care training and knowledge to continually monitor the situation and treat accordingly.
With the help of the Scottish Ambulance, the casualty was swiftly evacuated off the beach and normal lifeguard operations resumed for the rest of the day.
Finally, Senior RNLI Lifeguard Andrew conducted an off-duty rescue at East Sands beach in St Andrews on Wednesday 10 July when he spotted a paddleboarder in difficulty.
Andrew saw the casualty falling off their paddleboard into the water when they then got caught in a rip current, making it difficult for them to get back to the beach safely.
Andrew responded quickly by grabbing his rescue tube and heading into the water where he then brought the casualty back to shore to conduct a full casualty care assessment. The casualty luckily walked away unharmed by the incident.
The lifesaving work of RNLI lifeguards doesn’t stop when they leave the beach.
Before the summer season kicked off, RNLI lifeguards visited local primary schools to talk to children about how to have fun but stay safe at the beach.
The schools were given a free interactive session where lifeguards demonstrated how to Float to Live, explained what rip currents are and how to get out of one, and what the different coloured flags mean.
The sessions were a great opportunity for the lifeguards to share their knowledge and for the children to learn vital safety messaging that they could use this summer at the coast.
Senior RNLI Lifeguard Katie became the Regional Engagement Representative in Scotland for the newly launched RNLI Women in Lifeguarding Engagement Group.
The groups aim is to bring together a team who represent women in lifeguarding. The group aim to gain peer support, voice recommendations and challenges from the coast and collaborate with the institution to deliver the best service.
Katie ran the first social evening in collaboration with Elie Sauna to introduce the group, her role and what they can do to get involved.
Senior RNLI Lifeguard and Trainer/Assessors, Kelly and Katie, also ran lifeguard taster days to show budding lifeguards what a typical day in the life of an RNLI lifeguard looks like and to give hands on experience using lifesaving equipment.
The days were successful; the lifeguards were able to provide an insight into the role of a beach lifeguard and the participants learnt how to rescue a conscious and unconscious casualty.
Lachlan Edwards, RNLI Lead Lifeguard Supervisor for Scotland, said:
‘Our lifeguard team have worked hard and had a busy summer despite the unpredictable weather. The lifeguards have been sharing safety advice with the public, providing first aid and casualty care whenever it is needed. We’re still expecting people to enjoy the coast, so it is important that the public visit a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags where they can.’
Notes to Editors
To find your nearest RNLI lifeguarded beach and check its season dates, please visit: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeguarded-beaches
RNLI Media Contacts
Jaye Mackay, RNLI Media Engagement Placement for Scotland, 07929 673286 or [email protected]
Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Communications Manager 07826900639 or [email protected]
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
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.