LIFEGUARDS patrolling Langland Bay beach on Thursday (Jul 25) had their busiest day of the season and stayed on the beach two hours after the end of their patrol to keep the public safe.
There was a very large swell in the water, with rip currents pulling people out to sea. RNLI lifeguards dropped the red and yellow flags at around 5pm and replaced them with red flags, signalling that it was no longer safe enough to enter the water.
When the lifeguards weren’t in the water, they were giving water safety advice and educating the public on the dangerous sea conditions.
At around 6:20pm, lifeguards spotted a woman struggling to swim in the strong current against the powerful waves. She was around 150 metres out from the shore and was caught in a rip current. Lifeguard Supervisor Tom John quickly went out to the casualty on his board, carrying a lifeguard tube, and found her unresponsive.
Tom, then joined by lifeguard Dan Pearson, took her back to the beach on his board and delivered casualty care. The casualty was quite scared and had swallowed a lot of sea water, and was referred for further medical attention.
Langland Bay beach is a lifeguarded beach, with trained professionals patrolling from 10am to 6pm every day during the summer.
Another RNLI lifeguard joined the busy patrol at Langland Bay beach after finishing his shift at Caswell beach, and was one of the five lifeguards who remained on the beach until 8pm. Between the hours of 6:45pm and 7:45pm the RNLI lifeguards assisted four members of the public who were getting into difficulty in the sea.
Lifeguard Supervisor and Community Safety Officer Tom John said: “We don’t usually get a large swell like this during the summer months, and it has caused strong currents that can take swimmers by surprise. We advise the public not to enter the water when the red flags are flying, as it is too dangerous, and can lead to serious incidents.”
With the forecast promising more good weather this weekend, and lots of people wanting to cool off in the sea, the public are advised to visit lifeguarded beaches. RNLI lifeguards patrol 240 beaches around the UK and Channel Islands each summer, and you can find your nearest here: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeguarded-beaches
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