Two lifeguards raced to reach a kitesurfer as he was dragged under water towards rocks. Somehow they had to slow him down

On the afternoon of Tuesday 7 June, RNLI lifeguards watched a kitesurfer about 50m off the beach at Exmouth, Devon. He was having difficulties but appeared to be in no immediate danger. They decided to launch and offer assistance, but at that moment the situation took a rapid turn for the worse.

‘As I radioed for help, his kite started to spiral. It continued spiralling, dragging him under the water. It was pulling him at some serious speed through the water,’ recalls Senior Lifeguard Ryan Spring.

Not only was the kitesurfer in danger of drowning but he was being dragged at phenomenal speed towards an outcrop known as Maer Rocks. Lifeguards Matt Childs (20) and Ryan (20) launched their rescue watercraft (RWC) and raced to his aid, unsure whether they would make it in time.

As they reached the kitesurfer Matt leaped onto his back to try to slow him down. The man was told to jettison his kite but shouted that it was caught around his arm and would have to be cut free.

Ryan passed a knife from the RWC but Matt was unable to pull himself up to cut the lines because of the speed at which he was being dragged through the water. In a last attempt, Ryan leaped from the RWC to help.

‘I realised that we were no more than 20m from the rocks so I had to jump off the ski and onto his back as well,’ says Ryan. ‘In my mind I thought we were all going to hit the rocks.’

Just as they reached the outcrop, Ryan’s extra weight enabled them to slow the kite down sufficiently for Matt to cut the lines. ‘We could reach out and touch the rocks we were so close,’ explains Matt.

Had they been 10 seconds slower Ryan believes they would have been too late. Asked what would have happened if they hadn’t made it he replies: ‘I would hate to say but he would have been lucky to survive.’

Once cut free the kitesurfer, Simon Perks (56), was reassured and taken on the RWC sled to the beach while a third lifeguard, Ross Szender (26), called for assistance. Simon was taken to hospital where his arm was treated and he was kept under observation for secondary drowning.

Speaking after the event, Simon explains that he has been kitesurfing in the area for about 7 years and believed it was a freak accident that could have happened to anyone. There had been a lull in the wind and he was trying to relaunch his kite.

‘I didn’t realise but one of the lines had wrapped itself around my left arm and when the kite took off it started to loop, which meant it was out of control with full power. It was pulling me along by the elbow. I was finding it difficult to breathe and I was swallowing a lot of seawater.

‘I hate to think what could have happened to me, it could have been the end’ says Simon, and admits that at the time he had thought he was going to die. Only 10 days into the lifeguard season, this was the second serious kitesurf incident responded to by Ryan.

On only the second day of patrols, another experienced kitesurfer, Mike Way (50), had crashed into a navigation buoy. Ryan and fellow lifeguards Lee Newby and Tim Smart received special commendation from the RNLI's Medical and Survival Sub-Committee for saving his life. He had severe pelvic injuries and at one point stopped breathing.

Exmouth is a popular location for kitesurfers and at busy times there may be as many as 60 kites out on the water. According to Julian Smart, the RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor for East Devon, the majority of lifeguard call outs in this area are related to the sport.

‘Most of them are to assist, helping them back to the beach if they get into difficulty or have equipment failure. But occasionally things go very wrong.

‘Kitesurfers should ensure that their equipment is always fully checked and that somebody knows where they are going. They should also carry a line cutter at all times.

‘These guys were both very experienced and it just goes to show that it can happen to anyone. Incidents like this illustrate how important it is to visit a lifeguarded beach.’