Two rescues in 20 minutes: the rip that hit Gyllyngvase

If you were watching the sea at Gyllyngvase this week, you’ll have noticed it. Weeks of calm water gave way to an easterly wind, and the beach that usually rolls in gently was suddenly throwing up high seas and a powerful shore break. It was into those conditions that three volunteers from Gyllyngvase Surf Life Saving Club pulled two people from the water within the space of a single evening.

A father waiting anxiously on the sand

The club had gathered for evening training when the wind picked up. Risks were assessed, safety measures put in place, and the decision was made that swimming could go ahead.

It didn’t take long for that call to be tested. Within minutes, water safety board paddler Jack spotted a young girl caught in a rip on the south-west side of the beach. She was 100 metres out, but Jack reached her in a matter of moments, got her onto the rescue board and brought her back to her father, who had been waiting anxiously on the beach.

Jack returned to his position. Training continued.

A second rescue, twenty minutes later

Then, just 20 minutes on, Jack spotted another person being dragged out to sea by the same rip. As he paddled out to help, the shore-based rescue team, Lois and Ella, put together a plan of their own. Lois swam out with a rescue tube to support the casualty, who was struggling to stay on the board, while Ella organised extra rescue equipment and asked a member of the public to be ready to call the emergency services if needed.

The casualty was brought back to shore without further incident. Jack returned to his post. Lois and Ella carried on watching the water and advising the public as conditions stayed difficult.

“Our club saves lives,” the volunteers wrote in a joint Facebook post after the shift, crediting the skills and expertise of the surf life saving club’s members for the fact that two people went home safely.

Why an easterly wind turns Gyllyngvase dangerous

Rip currents form where waves push water back out to sea faster than it can drain away naturally, carving a narrow, fast-moving channel through the surf. They’re most likely wherever there are breaking waves, and an easterly wind blowing straight into a beach like Gyllyngvase can whip up exactly the swell that creates them, even after weeks of flat, settled water.

The club has flagged one stretch in particular. In easterly winds, the right-hand side of the beach, near the sauna, is the area to avoid.

What to do if you’re heading to the beach

The club’s message afterwards was simple: the waves might look like fun, but strong easterly winds can turn Gyllyngvase into a genuinely dangerous place to swim.

• Where there are waves, there are rip currents
• Avoid the right-hand side of the beach (near the sauna) in easterly winds
• If in doubt, stay out of the water
• If you see someone in trouble, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard

Jack, Lois and Ella were back on the sand the next morning, keeping watch over a beach that, on the surface, looked no different to any other August day.