On a sunny May afternoon, families flocked to the Cornish seaside for half-term. But it was no holiday for RNLI lifeguards at Porthtowan and Perranporth, who saved four lives from a strong rip current

Porthtowan Beach, 3.45pm
While RNLI Lifeguard Taylor Prisk was carrying out a routine afternoon patrol on his rescue board, he spotted two young bodyboarders drifting out of their depth into a rip current. He immediately paddled over and, realising how strong the rip current was, signalled to his colleagues for help. ‘I got my fins on, ran down and swam out,’ says Lifeguard Rhys Lloyd. He was joined by off-duty Lifeguard Deshko Matthews: ‘I’d just come out of the sea after a surf when I saw the two children being swept around the rocks at the northern end of the beach.’ By the time Rhys and Deshko reached them, the two bodyboarders were clinging to Taylor’s rescue board. The three of them were being pushed by the current and breaking waves towards some rocks. Supervisor Drustan Ward saw what was happening from the shore and paddled out on a second rescue board – while Senior Lifeguard Emily Trestrail monitored the busy flagged areas. ‘Taylor had one of the girls on his rescue board and was paddling her back to shore,’ says Deshko. ‘Rhys, who had swum out with a rescue tube, was with the other girl, so Drustan and I gave him a hand.’ Together, the four lifeguards brought the two girls back to shore, where they were reunited with their parents. Porthtowan Beach, 4.15pm Shortly afterwards, a kayaker got caught out by the same rip current. He was drifting dangerously close to the rocks when a set of waves knocked him even closer to the danger. Lifeguard Ishmael Hamon was enjoying his day off at the beach, but leaped into action when he saw the danger. ‘Ishmael and Rhys immediately launched the inshore rescue boat and I went out on my rescue board,’ Deshko recalls. Once they reached the kayaker, the three lifeguards realised they had a new challenge to tackle. ‘He really didn’t want to lose his kayak – he was refusing to unclip himself,’ Ishmael says. ‘This made the situation a lot worse, as he and Deshko were drifting closer to the rocks. That’s when it got a bit risky, as we couldn’t get in close enough on the boat.’ ‘He unclipped himself at the last minute,’ Deshko adds: ‘Then I was able to grab him and get him onto my rescue board. I paddled out to sea where the rescue boat could pick him up.’ Using great skill, Rhys battled the surf to get the boat into a safe position. to take the kayaker from Deshko. ‘We returned him to shore,’ says Ishmael. ‘And the kayak washed onto the rocks. The swell wasn’t huge that day, but big enough not to kayak in.’ Perranporth Beach, 2.30pm At neighbouring Perranporth, beachgoers were experiencing the same conditions – big swells and strong currents. Senior RNLI Lifeguard Sam Chamberlain was patrolling the bathing area when a rip current suddenly pulled three bodyboarders away from the shore. As he was helping them, he spotted a small boy struggling to swim against the rip before being pulled underwater. 

‘I swam over and lifted him above the surface to breathe, just as a large set of waves came crashing down,’ says Sam. ‘I bear-hugged him, and held on as we took three waves breaking on top of us, pinning us to the bottom. After each wave I put him over my shoulder and pushed off the bottom so he could get some air. ‘Once the set had passed, we made it back to the shore and I reunited him with his family. It’s a terrifying experience to be caught in a rip current, with what seems like no break in the waves crashing around you.’
Words: Nikki McMullen
Photos: RNLI/Nathan Williams, Nikki Willows

Staying safe at the beach
To help you make the most out of your trip to the coast, here are a few tips from our lifeguards. Ishmael says: ‘Always follow the lifeguards’ advice, and swim between the red and yellow flags. If you’re not sure about something, ask a lifeguard.’ Drustan adds: ‘When you’re enjoying yourself on a bodyboard, it’s easy not to notice that you’ve drifted down the beach or out of your depth until it’s too late. Make sure you’re aware of your surroundings and keep a check on where you are in the water.’ This summer, RNLI lifeguards patrolled over 240 beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. To find your nearest lifeguarded beach, including times and dates of seasonal cover,

visit RNLI.org/beaches.