Crantock Volunteers Pulled Two Bodyboarders From a Pentire Rip

The sea below Pentire Headland looked calm. That is exactly the problem with a rip current.

Volunteer lifeguards at Crantock Surf Life Saving Club had extended their out of hours patrols later into the evening to cope with the heatwave. On the evening of 25 June, around 8:30pm, that decision saved at least one life.

A patrol that was about to log off

Two volunteers, Dale and Si, were logged on duty with the Coastguard and were winding down for the night. They had already handed out a number of preventative safety advisories. As the patrol came to an end they spotted two bodyboarders in trouble in the rip current below the headland, carried out of their depth.

Dale put in a 999 call and coordinated from the beach. Si went into the water. Between them they brought one bodyboarder back to shore. The second was harder. He was a non-swimmer, he had come off his board, and the current was carrying him further out to sea and out of sight of the beach. Si grabbed a nearby surfboard, paddled out and brought him in.

Both casualties were checked for injury on the beach, given medical advice and water safety information, then reunited with their friends.

Why a flat sea can still drag you out

A rip current does not need rough weather to be dangerous. It can sit under a calm, inviting surface and pull a strong adult off their feet before they have worked out what is happening. Here is the advice the club shared after the rescue.

What the club wants you to know

• Swim between the flags during lifeguard hours.
• Check the conditions before you go in. Rips can be hard to spot, so ask for advice, and if in doubt, stay out.
• If you get into difficulty, stay with your board. It will help you float.
• Carry a way to call for help, like a whistle and a phone in a waterproof pouch.
• Tell someone where you are going, stay together and look out for each other.
• If you see someone in difficulty, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

The whole thing happened in the last fifteen minutes of a shift that, on a normal week, would already have been over.

📷Credit: Crantock Lifesaving Club