Lifeguards wanted for summer patrols

THE RNLIis on the lookout for new recruits to man beaches around Plymouth during the 2023 summer season. Recruitment for this season’s lifeguard team has started nationally and locally too of course in preparation for keeping the nation’s beachgoers safe this summer.

The charity’s lifeguards not only rescue those in difficulty in the water, they also provide vital beach first-aid and safety advice to ensure visitors can return home safely. Last summer, lifeguards plucked stricken swimmers from powerful rip currents, saved children being blown offshore in inflatables, came to the aid of paddleboarders and gave lifesaving CPR on beaches among the thousands of incidents they attended.

In 2021, the RNLI’s lifeguards in the south west helped 13,402 people in need, and also saved 56 lives.

One of those lives was saved by a team of lifeguards at Mawgan Porth Beach near Newquay after a man walking in the shallows near the shore was caught in a powerful rip current and pulled out to sea.