Lifeguards rescue 32 people in just 90 minutes after gnarly rip-tide causes havoc on beach

RNLI lifeguards rescued 32 people in just 90 minutes after a gnarly rip-tide caused chaos on a Cornwall beach.

With a large number of people still in the water and difficult conditions on the high spring tide, the lifeguard team worked overtime to ensure everyone was safe.

Working past their 6pm finish time, the crew of six - made up of Ben Miskowicz, Chris Rowlands, Phil Bartlett, Scott Temple, Christian Parker and Craig O’Rourke - were patrolling the beach on Monday when they realised the conditions were too dangerous to finish their lifeguard duties.

The team worked tirelessly on Polzeath beach for another 90 minutes to rescue a total of 32 people - many of them children, including seven swimmers and 25 bodyboarders.

Senior lifeguard Ben Miskowicz said: "The conditions at Polzeath this week are particularly challenging, we have a high tide, strong onshore winds and large swell.

"The winter storms have changed the typography of Polzeath and now at high tide we have some rip currents at both the northern and southern end of the beach.

"The northern rip is particularly prominent at high tide at the moment and between 6pm and 7.15pm last night the lifeguards assisted 32 people who’d fallen off the bank of sand and straight into the path of the rip current."

He explained that he was at the cliff top at the south end of the beach, with Chris on the north, which enabled them to spot casualties and guide the other lifeguards to them.

Ben continued: "I could see how strong the rip was, when the lifeguards stopped paddling on the rescue board they were pulled away very quickly, it was incredibly strong."

Chris Wafer, RNLI lifeguard supervisor, said: "We’ve seen strong onshore winds and a big swell combined with spring tides in recent days which have created these difficult conditions."

With conditions expected to remain dangerous in the coming days, lifeguards are urging beach users to stay safe and seek advice about any potential hazards.

To help keep children safe in the sea this summer, the RNLI has partnered with the ASA to offer Swim Safe. Providing free open-water swimming improver lessons to children aged between 7-14, the programme is running at Bude throughout the summer. For more information go tohttp://www.swimming.org/go/parents/swim-safe/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lifeguards-rescue-32-people-just-4045149#ixzz3AJOBWXuh
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Rip tides - not good!

The sea worries me. It's unpredictable at times.
My friends son was pulled under in Portugal a few years back, and he was only about waist deep - he just couldn't get back to the shore and ended up a few yards up the beach from where he started!
He's a strong lad and a good swimmer and it freaked him out!!

eddie wrote:The sea worries me. It's unpredictable at times.
My friends son was pulled under in Portugal a few years back, and he was only about waist deep - he just couldn't get back to the shore and ended up a few yards up the beach from where he started!
He's a strong lad and a good swimmer and it freaked him out!!

I know, I remember getting knocked over by big waves at Great Yarmouth when I was about 7, I was only in about 2 ft of water, but one would knock me over and as I went to get up the next one would hit me. My grandad lifted me out and I had sand down my throat and up my nose, it wasn't nice. However, I ended up deep sea diving out in Singapore, it's much safer below the water with an aqualung lol

Yes I prefer scuba diving to paddling!

I used to think nothing of having a swim in the sea but lately there are so many stories that I'm getting paranoid!

eddie wrote:Yes I prefer scuba diving to paddling!

I used to think nothing of having a swim in the sea but lately there are so many stories that I'm getting paranoid!

I think I might be more worried about coming face to face with a turd these days!

Sassy wrote:

eddie wrote:Yes I prefer scuba diving to paddling!

I used to think nothing of having a swim in the sea but lately there are so many stories that I'm getting paranoid!

I think I might be more worried about coming face to face with a turd these days!

  

eddie wrote:

Sassy wrote:


I think I might be more worried about coming face to face with a turd these days!

  

       ::zomb:: 

 

Wolf, it's scary enough that I won't let my 13 year old swim alone.

eddie wrote:Wolf, it's scary enough that I won't let my 13 year old swim alone.

The trick is to teach your kids that panic is a useless emotion. The days of running from a sabre-toothed tiger are over. Today, you need your thoughts to get out of trouble...and panic shuts off thinking.

I taught both my kids that and it has served them very well.

Although I sail, I don't like large ships and holiday cruises.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/nyregion/05cruise.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Original Quill wrote:

eddie wrote:Wolf, it's scary enough that I won't let my 13 year old swim alone.

The trick is to teach your kids that panic is a useless emotion.  The days of running from a sabre-toothed tiger are over.  Today, you need your thoughts to get out of trouble...and panic shuts off thinking.

I taught both my kids that and it has served them very well.

Although I sail, I don't like large ships and holiday cruises.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/nyregion/05cruise.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

quote from Frank Herberts Dune......."fear is the mind killer"

victorisnotamused wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

eddie wrote:Wolf, it's scary enough that I won't let my 13 year old swim alone.

The trick is to teach your kids that panic is a useless emotion.  The days of running from a sabre-toothed tiger are over.  Today, you need your thoughts to get out of trouble...and panic shuts off thinking.

I taught both my kids that and it has served them very well.

Although I sail, I don't like large ships and holiday cruises.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/nyregion/05cruise.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

quote from Frank Herberts Dune......."fear is the mind killer"

You're both quite right of course. I do try not to instil fear into my children tbh, I teach them to be relaxed about things.
But I'm entitled to a secret mothers worry!   

Learn beach safety.

Rips are not even that dangerous if you know what your doing.

the first image wolf posted explains it. let the current take you out (no point fighting it, you'll just tire yourself)and try and swim parallel to the shore eventually you will move out of the pull of the rip and be able to swim back toward shore.

As kids me and my brothers would purposely go in rips to take us out to body surf back in (board-less surfing)