Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeguards at Freshwater West, South West Wales, were involved in several rescues involving six people who had been caught in rip currents at the Pembrokeshire beach during a busy afternoon on Saturday 7 August.
The afternoon’s events began with the rescue of two men, who had been swept out to sea in a rip current to the north of the designated bathing area at the beach.
Lifeguard James Shuttleworth paddled out on a rescue board through the surf to the pair and having brought one of them into the beach returned to rescue the second swimmer, a middle-aged man, who was by then in very serious difficulty.
Neil, aged 32, the first person to be rescued told RNLI lifeguard John Johnstone: ‘I’m lucky you guys were here otherwise I would have been in serious trouble.’
Later, while another surfer was being rescued by staff of the Outer Reef Surf School with assistance from RNLI lifeguards John Johnstone and Oli Davies, they were again called upon to help James Shuttleworth in a another rescue of two people who had been taken out by the main rip current at the south end of Freshwater West.
Subsequently, Oli Davies rescued another surfer who had got into difficulty at the south end of the beach.
Lifeguard supervisor Adam Pitman, who had been called to the beach to assist the lifeguards, praised their actions: ‘They did a brilliant job, and we are extremely grateful to the guys from Outer Reef Surf School for their timely help.
‘Fortunately none of those rescued today needed medical assistance but it is a fact that they were all swimming outside the red and yellow flagged area, which we recommend as the safest place on the beach to bathe and bodyboard.
‘While it is of course a matter of individual choice where people choose to swim, I would encourage everyone to visit a lifeguarded beach and to seek advice, particularly if they are unfamiliar with the area. Freshwater West can have strong rip currents, and dynamic wind and tidal conditions which will test even the most experienced surfers, bodyboarders and bathers.’
