Surfers Save Child Struggling in the Sea off Perranporth Beach

A potentially tragic situation was averted yesterday evening when a child was rescued from the waters off Perranporth beach. The child, who was spotted struggling about 100 metres out to sea, was saved thanks to the swift action of two surfers.

Volunteer Lifeboat Crew Scramble to Action

The drama unfolded at 7:59pm when the volunteer crew of the St Agnes RNLI lifeboat were paged to respond to an emergency call. Reports from H.M. Coastguard in Falmouth indicated that a woman had dialled 999, alerting them that her child was in difficulty in the water.

Within minutes of the alert, the D Class lifeboat was launched, with the crew racing towards Perranporth beach. On arrival, they found that the child had already been brought ashore by the two surfers who had spotted the youngster in distress.

Child Assessed and Transferred to Safety

After landing on the beach, the RNLI crew, who are all trained in casualty care, assessed the child’s condition. Fortunately, it appears that the swift intervention by the surfers prevented any serious harm. The child was then transferred into the care of St Agnes Coastguard Cliff Rescue for further evaluation and support.

RNLI’s Beach Safety Reminder

In the aftermath of the incident, the RNLI issued a reminder to all beachgoers about the importance of swimming during safe hours. For beaches in Cornwall, including Perranporth, the RNLI lifeguards are on duty from 10am to 6pm. Bathers are advised to swim only between the red and yellow flags and to avoid entering the water when the plain red flag is flying, which indicates dangerous conditions.

For more information on how to stay safe at the beach, the RNLI encourages the public to visit their website at https://rnli.org/safety/beach-safety.