The Cornwall beach wind that can carry you out to sea

The sea looks calm. The sun is out, the water is glassy and the breeze at your back feels like nothing at all. That gentle push off the beach is exactly the problem. An offshore wind, blowing from the land out towards the water, is the one that quietly carries paddleboarders, kayakers and anyone on an inflatable much further from the shore than they ever meant to go. By the time you notice, paddling back can be close to impossible.

How to spot an offshore wind before you get in

There is a simple check you can do the moment you reach the sand, and Surfing England has been showing people how. Look at the flags on a lifeguarded beach. If they are blowing out towards the sea, that is an offshore wind. When the wind is strong, the RNLI lifeguards will also fly an orange windsock, which is the signal that no inflatables should go in the water at all.

If you are still not sure which way the wind is blowing, just ask. The lifeguards on duty will tell you, and that is exactly what they are there for. Surfing England filmed the flag check with the North Devon RNLI lifeguards, who took the time to demonstrate what to look for (video shown above).

Why offshore winds catch people out

Paddleboarders and kayakers have been making the most of the summer weather along the coast, and most trips pass without a hitch. But lifesavers have already dealt with a run of paddlesport rescues this season. In one recent callout, an RNLI lifeboat crew rescued two people on paddleboards who had been blown more than a mile offshore.

The catch with an offshore wind is that it does the hard work for you on the way out. Sitting low on a board or in a kayak, you act like a sail, and the same breeze that made the paddle out feel effortless is the one you then have to fight all the way home. It happens on warm, settled-looking days when nothing seems wrong, which is what makes it so easy to underestimate.

What to take before you get on the water

No matter how confident you are in the water, the advice from the RNLI, who are working with Paddle UK on paddlesport safety, is to be prepared before you launch:

• Wear a buoyancy aid
• Carry a phone in a waterproof pouch
• Wear the correct leash
• Avoid offshore winds

It is worth passing this on to whoever you paddle with, because the person who gets caught out is rarely the one who saw it coming. Not sure which way the wind is blowing today? Ask the lifeguards on the beach. That, after all, is what they are there for.