RNLI Sandhaven lifeguard rescues two children from sandbanks

With the start of the heatwave seeing beaches packed already, the RNLI Sandhaven team spent their day monitoring South Shields beach. Lifeguard Luke Dixon stayed in the water the entire day on the rescue board in preparation for any possible incidents.

At around 3pm, he noticed two young girls struggling around the Trow Rocks down the end of South Shields beach. The two girls were swimming along the sand bank, when they came into trouble around a hole that had developed alongside the rocks.

The offshore wind had pushed the children further out to sea, were they began struggling against the current. The charity’s lifeguard swam out to the girls on the rescue board, where he found them in bad shape. Both were panicking, with one struggling to keep her head above the water.

To calm them down, Luke sat them on top of the board floating in the sea for five minutes, to ensure they knew they were safe. The two casualties immediately perked up, so Luke swum them back to shore.

Once they were in waist deep water, the two children ran towards their awaiting parents. Both remained uninjured.

Senior Lifeguard Feargus Scherczer spoke highly of his team’s quick reaction: ‘We know it's going to be a busy summer, so we are taking preventative measures to stop incidents from occurring.

'If people do decide to visit a beach this summer, choose a lifeguarded beach, where our team will be on-hand to assist you.’

If you find yourself in trouble in the water, always remain calm and raise your hand to shout for help. Float to Live until one of the RNLI team reach you.

For more safety information when visiting a lifeguarded beach, please visit:

https://rnli.org/safety/beach-safety

Notes to editors

RNLI Sandhaven lifeguard service has been operating since 2001. To learn more about the lifeguarded beach go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeguarded-beaches/sandhaven-centre-beach

Lead Lifeguard Supervisor Sean Mills is available for interview.

Photo Credit

RNLI/Derry Salter

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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

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