A swimmer gets into danger off the coast of Northern Ireland – just as local RNLI lifeguards are about to clock off for the night

Wednesday 27 June, and another day was drawing to a close on Portrush’s East Strand Beach. ‘The lifeguards had just finished for the day and were packing up,’ recalls Senior Lifeguard Josh McCaw. ‘Albert and Marcus were taking the rescue equipment off the beach and washing it down to get it ready for the following morning. ‘A member of the public came up to them and expressed concern about a man entering the water about 500m away. Albert and Marcus grabbed their rescue boards and started off down
the beach. The fourth member of the lifeguard team, Nicola, called me on the radio. While I joined Albert and Marcus, Nicola stayed in the lifeguard hut so she could liaise with the Coastguard.’ Support crew
Fortunately, Portrush’s inshore lifeboat crew were on a training exercise at Ramore Head nearby.

‘As we approached East Strand, we noticed two RNLI lifeguards running along the beach,’ Helm Ben Wilson
explains. ‘They were heading towards a young man in the water, who was about 80m offshore. We hadn’t received a call on the radio, so we assumed that the alarm had only just been raised. ‘We sped towards him to ascertain if he was the casualty. It quickly became apparent that he was in difficulty. When we were 25m away, he turned around to face us and started moving his arms and legs as if he was climbing a ladder. We slowed right down as we got to him. Then he stopped moving. He just lay on his back and began to sink. ‘We grabbed hold of him and pulled him out of the water, notified the Coastguard and brought the casualty ashore. He was conscious and talking, though dazed and confused. He wasn’t wearing a wetsuit, only a pair of swimming shorts. If we’d been just a few minutes later, he could have
drowned. I don’t think he realised quite how lucky he was.’ 

If we’d been just a few minutes later, he could have drowned’
BEN WILSON
HELM | PORTRUSH

Careful transfer ‘Once they were ashore, the lifeboat crew transferred the casualty into the
lifeguards’ care,’ says Josh. ‘We helped him into the lifeguard hut. We carried out all our casualty care checks, asking him if there was anyone with him and if he had banged his head. We also
checked his vital signs – his breathing rate, his heart pumping rate (capillary refill) and how alert he was.’ The lifeguards monitored the man before judging him to have recovered sufficiently to rejoin his friends further up the beach. It’s no accident that our lifeboat crews and lifeguards are able to work
together seamlessly as they did on this rescue. The lifeguards train with the lifeboat crew at Portrush every year. They focus on good communications between lifeguards and the crew. And they practise many different rescue scenarios, including ones like this. Lifeguard Supervisor Karl O’Neill, who is also a volunteer with Portrush lifeboat crew, says: ‘This was definitely a life saved. I believe the man would have drowned if this had happened later and the lifeguards hadn’t been there.’ 
Words: Robin Westcott
Photos: Stephen Scott, Shutterstock

SAFETY ADVICE
Swimming in open water is very different to swimming in a pool. Unseen currents, cold water and
waves make open-water swimming more challenging. Even the strongest swimmers can tire quickly in the sea.
Our advice is:
• Swim between the red and yellow flags on a lifeguarded beach.
• Check weather and tide times before you go. Never swim alone.
• If you see someone in trouble, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.
• Consider wearing a wetsuit and a brightly coloured hat for longer swims.
• Always swim parallel to the shore and not straight out. Cold water and currents can tire you out quickly and make it harder to return to shore.

Find out more at RNLI.org/BeachSafety.