With skill, courage and brute strength, two RNLI lifeguards fought through heavy surf and high winds to reach surfers in peril

Days before the end of a busy lifeguard season, on the morning of 29 October 2010, Senior Lifeguard Jamie Rowlands and Lifeguard Andy Waterfield were patrolling the water’s edge of the beach at Polzeath, Cornwall. With force 6 winds, the conditions that day were challenging even for experienced surfers. Jamie describes the scene: ‘It was quite a messy day. The wind was cross-shore with waves of 2–3m.’

The lifeguards spotted three surfers 200m away entering the sea from the rocks, near a notorious rip current, north of the bay.

One of the three surfers soon realised he was out of his depth. Andy recalls: ‘He was being hit by breaking waves and smashed into the rocks, but he managed to scramble to safety.’ Andy raced to a vantage point up on the cliff and saw the other two surfers in trouble.

Jamie was already getting the inshore rescue boat ready. Andy joined him, radioing for their fellow lifeguard to take over patrolling at the water’s edge. They launched in just 1 minute.

Meanwhile, members of the public on the cliff top called for help and the Coastguard Rescue Team was quickly on scene. RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor Chris Rowlands (Jamie’s brother) also arrived and monitored communications from the lifeguard unit.

At the helm, Jamie faced the surf head on. His seamanship was tested and he admits: ‘We had a few close calls. It was hard to get out there without flipping the boat.’

It was Andy’s job to spot the casualty, make navigation decisions and keep a lookout for hazards. He helped Jamie keep the boat from capsizing by using his body weight towards the bow when riding the waves.

With two surfers still in danger Jamie quickly chose who to rescue first. One was being swept out of the bay, but his friend was in more urgent need, being pushed closer to the rocks at alarming speed and bombarded by large waves. The Coastguard Rescue Team on top of the cliff helped pinpoint the man. Andy reflects:

'The wind was such a factor that day, affecting the driving of the boat and moving the casualties so quickly in the water.’

Approaching the casualty the lifeguards shouted to him to ‘lose the board’. Andy later explained why: ‘We had to grab him and move quickly before the next wave hit. With the wind whipping through, the last thing we wanted was a surfboard catching the wind and getting in the way.’

But metres from the surfer Jamie pulled the boat back, as the waves were too close together to complete the rescue. The helmsman kept his nerve and seconds later, in a longer lull between two waves, he drove right up to the man. Andy heaved the casualty into the boat, just before the next wave engulfed them all.

The men and the boat survived the pounding, surfaced and whizzed back to the shore. By the time they’d dropped the first casualty back to land the second surfer had moved another 20m further out. But the lifeguards were up to the challenge. Andy had already planned the route to the second surfer when saving the first. They went via a channel with fewer ‘waves to punch’.

More support arrived with Rock inshore lifeboat on scene but the lifeguards were well on their way. The lifeboat stayed in the area as back up and watched the lifeguards in action.

The audience was also growing on the cliffs and the lifeguards even spotted a seal hanging around, with a front-row seat! They all watched as the pair picked up the remaining casualty and whisked him back safely to the beach. Jamie recalls: ‘I was buzzing afterwards. The three friends were reunited – no one got hurt. The guy even got his board back.’

Once the Coastguard had had a chat to the surfers, the survivors made a point of talking to the lifeguards. Andy remembers: ‘They came over to say thank you and were sorry. I was just glad they were all fine; no broken bones.’ All three men continued to surf that day, but this time between the black and white flags.

For his seamanship, judgement and decisionmaking in extremely testing surf, Jamie received a Framed Letter of Thanks from the RNLI Chairman. Andy’s significant contribution was recognised with a letter from the RNLI Chief Executive. In August, Jamie and Andy will also be presented with the Alison Saunders' Lifeguarding Award, honouring the most meritorious RNLI lifeguard rescue of the 2010 season.

Jamie comments: ‘It means a lot, but we don’t do it for the recognition – I’ve been a member of a surf club since I was 8. And it definitely made the longer lifeguarding season worthwhile.’ In 1996 when lifeguards didn’t cover Polzeath Beach in October, two other surfers lost their lives in similar conditions. Thanks to these RNLI lifeguards, history didn’t repeat itself.