| Bodyboarder rescued by RNLI on Perranporth beach |
| Sunday, 26 April 2009 14:57 |
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Stuart Flowerday, a volunteer RNLI lifeguard and member of Perranporth Surf Life Saving Club rescued a male bodyboarder caught in a rip current, which took him 50 metres off shore on Perranporth beach, on Sunday (19 April). Perranporth and Praa Sands beaches have had RNLI lifeguard cover for the two-week Easter school holidays. With sunny spring weather and good surf conditions, both have been busy with families and water users and RNLI lifeguards have been on hand to provide beach safety advise and to maintain a safe bathing area, minimising rescues. On Sunday morning, volunteer RNLI lifeguard Stuart Flowerday, was patrolling the bathing area on Perranporth beach with RNLI lifeguard Robin Howell, when a male bodyboarder, about 50 metres off the shore started waving for help. He was caught in a rip current and struggling to get back within his depth. Stuart quickly paddled out on a rescue board, when he reached him; the gentleman was in a panicked state and struggling to stay afloat. Stuart spoke to him and calmed him down. Reassured, the gentleman was told to lie on the front of the rescue board and Stuart brought him safely back to shore, where he spent some time with the lifeguards to be assessed before making his way back up the beach. RNLI lifeguards will be back out on patrol on Praa sands and Perranporth this weekend (25 and 26 April) before the start of the main RNLI lifeguard season on 1 May. RNLI lifeguard supervisor Drustan Ward says; ‘We’ve had a busy two weeks on the beaches, with some major and minor first aids to mostly surf related injuries, and some water rescues, again mainly to surfers or kayakers. But the majority of the work the RNLI lifeguards have been busy with is preventative, giving out safety advise, keeping bathers and surfers within their flagged zones, advising on tides and sea conditions, and generally pre-empting incidents before they happen. Stuart is one of the RNLI’s volunteer lifeguards and performs his duties around his day job as a policeman, the RNLI is a charity based on the goodwill of volunteers so its great to have him, and the skills he brings with him, on the lifeguard team.’
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