'My thoughts about the beach have changed. I used to think it was just a fun place to be but now I know there are hidden dangers as well.' These are the words of a teenager from inner London who had the chance to take part in one of the RNLI's exciting beach safety programmes this summer. It is always a shock when we hear of the tragic death of a child in the sea. Even when conditions appear to be safe, young people can find themselves in difficulty within a matter of seconds, as the 'Lifeguards in action' stories on pages 14 and 15 show.

Many of them could be saved or spared the trauma with some basic, but crucial, beach safety knowledge. The RNLI is strongly committed to reducing these deaths and accidents through education, changing people's attitudes and behaviour on the beach or in the sea.

Hamish MacKenzie, RNLI Regional Education Officer for Greater London says: 'We are aiming our beach safety messages at groups we believe to be at high risk, such as those from inland cities who are often not aware of the dangers.' During the summer months this year, the RNLI set up three innovative schemes to help young people learn how they can keep themselves and others safe when they are at the seaside.

The first, Inner city surf, took 10 young people aged between 14 and 17 from Camberwell, Southwark, in inner London to Bude in Cornwall for a week in early June. They took part in an intensive surf lifesaving project with a range of challenging activities and simulated incidents. Some of the teenagers had never been to the beach before and they all had a lot to learn about the sea.

'I'm nervous about going in the water. I think it will be fun but it's serious. You've got to be careful.' 'I was freaked out by how big the waves are and how strong the current is. It all changes so fast.' ' The beach is really nice and catching the waves is fun, but you have to realise there's a dark side to everything.' After a week of hard work, the students were ready to take their exams. They had learnt many skills and a great deal of safety information including the basics of surfing and using a rescue board, the meaning of the beach safety flags, first aid, what rip currents are and how to spot potential accidents and prevent them before they happen. Everyone passed their exam with flying colours - a tribute to the instruction given by Beach Lifeguard Supervisor Mini Fry, Regional Education Officer Hamish MacKenzie and Beach Safety Supervisor Dave Gorman. The students were presented with certificates and medals for a NOSS (National Ocean Safety Scheme) award, which is run by the SLSA GB (Surf Life Saving Association of Great Britain).

This qualification means they have taken a first step down the road to becoming qualified RNLI beach lifeguards.

The final challenge for the group was to take charge of Summerleaze beach for two hours under the supervision of the regular lifeguards.

During this time they dealt with various 'incidents' that had been set up, including a meets the sea swimmer outside the flags, a person in danger of drowning and someone with a nosebleed. Dave Gorman said: 'I was really impressed by the kids' attitude and their determination to succeed. They all put in 100% effort and did tremendously well.' 'It's scary when a person is struggling and hard to swim with them but it's great when you know they're OK.' 'It's strange being in control of the beach. It's so big -you have to have eyes everywhere.' As part of their 'work in the community' the BBC filmed the Inner city surf 2005 activities. The results will be made into a DVD that can be used to promote beach safety education in schools (see right).

Another of this summer's schemes aimed at helping city children stay safe at the seaside was Beach to city. Beach Lifeguards Mike Crocott and Matt Lloyd from Poole and Bournemouth exchanged beaches for blackboards and took beach safety messages into eight schools. This time the target age range was seven to eleven year olds and the location was the area around Dudley, on the edge of the West Midlands conurbation.

Beach to city took place in June, just before the school summer break when many children and their families are likely to visit the seaside.

Mike explained the aims of the programme: 'We taught the children what to do if they get into trouble when visiting the beach. They were able to see all kinds of lifeguarding equipment, including off-road vehicles and rescue boards. They also learned about simple safety precautions, from applying suntan lotion to the safe use of inflatables.' For Mike and Matt, Beach to city was totally different from their usual job as lifeguards on the beach. They weren't quite sure what to expect from children who live a long way from the sea, but were pleasantly surprised to find that they were really interested and very keen to learn about beach safety. The two lifeguards left Dudley with invitations to come back again next year.

The primary schools that took part in the Beach to city programme were: Hob Green, Stourbridge; Crestwood Park, Kingswinford; Blanford Mere, Kingswinford; Straits, Dudley; Maidensbridge, Kingswinford; St Joseph's RC, Stourbridge; Bromley Hills, Kingswinford; St Chad's RC, Dudley.

The third project was Hit the surf, which took place over three weeks in July on Tolcarne beach at Newquay in Cornwall. The first two weeks were dedicated to groups of 25 eight to twelve year olds from Cornish schools. There was a huge interest and places had to be given to schools on a first-come first-served basis. The third week then broadened the programme to include children visiting Cornwall on holiday.

Each group of children spent two and a half hours with RNLI beach lifeguards learning about wave formation, dangers on the beach, the role of lifeguards and what to do if you find yourself in difficulty. They also had practical lessons and games to help them develop skills such as paddling on a board, body surfing and diving under waves.

Every participant was given a certificate and a goody bag at the end of their session but, more importantly, they took away knowledge that will help keep them safe on the beach for many years to come.

These three beach safety schemes are now being evaluated with a view to expanding some of them in the future. By offering these programmes to a wider audience, the RNLI will be able to reduce the tragic loss of life off UK beaches. Many more young people and their families will benefit from this vital education and be saved the horror of drowning.

For information about visiting beaches, go to goodbeachguide.co.uk, which is produced by the Marine Conservation Society in partnership with the RNLI and of course rnli.org.uk/beachlifeguards.