TWO people were pulled out of the water by members of the public and an off-duty lifeguard after getting into difficulty at Tregantle Beach in Whitsand Bay.

RNLI lifeguards along with the Looe and Plymouth lifeboats responded to the call after two swimmers got into difficulty in a rip current at Long Sands yesterday afternoon. The RNLI lifeguards were on Tregantle beach at the time for pre-season preparation with surveillance patrols and were able to respond to the incident. After being told by a member of the public that there were people in difficulty in the water at Long Sands, they alerted the Coastguard and quickly made their way to the scene which was to the west of where they were situated.The volunteer crews at Looe and Plymouth both launched at 4.55pm, with the Looe RNLI D class Ollie Naismith and the Plymouth all-weather lifeboat Sybil Mullen Glover. The air ambulance and Coastguard teams also attended the incident.'Although there was only 1-2ft of surf, there were strong rip currents, causing people to get into difficulty,' said the RNLI.'On arrival at the scene, RNLI lifeguards carried out casualty care, administering oxygen and continuously running checks to monitor the casualties' condition. 'The casualties were then transferred to the land ambulance, and the lifeboats were stood down.'The air ambulance had also been called but was not utilised; the two people were taken by land to Derriford Hospital.Wednesday had also been a very busy day for lifeguards in Whitsand Bay with multiple incidents occurring: the first being when four bathers were rescued after getting caught in a strong rip current. The swimmers had gone into the water outside the flagged area, having already been advised to swim between the flags, said the RNLI.Shortly following this incident, a member of the public alerted the RNLI lifeguards to a woman having medical difficulties up the cliff above the beach. 'One of the lifeguards and an off-duty lifeguard immediately grabbed the crash bag and darted up to the casualty,' said an RNLI spokesperson.'The casualty appeared to be having a severe asthma attack and paramedics were requested immediately as the lifeguards administered oxygen. The lifeguards kept the woman stable until the ambulance arrived and evacuated the scene.'Meanwhile, nearby on Tregantle beach RNLI lifeguards were operating pre-season training with their casual lifeguards when seven swimmers were spotted getting into difficulty in a fixed rip current. RNLI lifeguard supervisor brothers Charlie and Beau Gillet, along with the Area Lifesaving Manager, James Millidge, maintained observations and requested back up from nearby Tregonhawke beach to launch the inshore rescue boat and help to rescue the bathers. The casual lifeguards who were training also grabbed the rescue boards and helped to return the bathers safely to shore. Following this incident, a further two body boarders were rescued from the same rip current and three teenagers who were swimming when they got into difficulty. Charlie Gillet, RNLI lifeguard supervisor said: ‘Both the off-duty lifeguards and patrolling lifeguard teams responded quickly to the incidents that arose yesterday and prevented what could have been a very different outcome. There was a significant amount of people both on the beach and in the water so maintaining observation alongside mass rescues was vital and our lifeguards worked so well together.’