A TEN-year old boy was rescued from a rip current and 17 people were rescued after being cut off by the incoming tide during a busy weekend for local lifeguards.
On Friday (July 31) RNLI lifegurds at Whitsand Bay launched the inshore rescue boat to reach 17 people in two small bays who had been cut off by the tide coming in.
On Saturday August 1 at around 4.30pm, a 10-year old boy was swimming with his brother at Tregantle Beach when they got into trouble in a rip current.
’Although the brother was able to get to saefty, the young boy was clearly struggling against the current,’ said a spokesperson.
’Lifeguard Ed Sampson paddled out to him on a rescue board to get him safely out of the water and back to shore.’
The incident happened outside of the red and yellow flagged bathing area, said the RNLI who added: ’The best thing people can do to avoid deadly rip currents when at the coast is to visit a lifeguarded beach and always swim between the red and yellow flags, which is the safest swimming area, and most closely observed by lifeguards.’