Safety advice written in the sand at Cornish beaches

Safety advice is being carved into the sand on Cornish beaches this summer.

The sand art is being used to highlight the locations of dangerous rip currents and to encourage people to swim between the red and yellow flags which are patrolled by RNLI lifeguards.

The sand signage is also being used to highlight what time beach-goers need to return before they get cut off by the tide.

The idea was developed by David Revell, of design consultancy Imagemakers, in response to a challenge set by the RNLI as part of its Design Out Drowning programme. The programme challenged designers and communities to explore how to reduce coastal drowning in Devon and Cornwall by rethinking how and where safety messages and drowning prevention interventions are deployed.

The sand signage will be trialled at Bedruthan Steps, near Newquay, Watergate Bay and Perranporth. The project’s success in changing beach users’ behaviour will be monitored before the RNLI can assess its potential to be rolled out to other locations in the future.