Two young people recently found themselves in difficulty during high tide at the beach
A Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeguard has recalled the moment he "ran into the water" to save two people at Skegness beach. During the recent spell of hot weather, many people visited Skegness Beach on Friday, May 29 to relax and enjoy the sunshine, but two young people found themselves in difficulty at high tide.
The parents had left the shore to speak with friends, and behind them, the two kids, neither of whom could swim, slipped beneath the water. Despite there being no visible signs of distress, RNLI senior lifeguard Liam Sumner spotted that something wasn't right after the two individuals he had spotted earlier were no longer visible on the beach and were not with their parents.
Mr Sumner said: "I grabbed a floatation tube and ran into the water where I’d last seen the two young people.
"I quickly found them and they were both beneath the surface. "I threw the floatation tube into the water and scooped each of them up by under the arms. " He continued: "They grabbed onto the floatation tube, both clearly distressed and non-swimmers. "We worked our way back to the shore, where their relieved parents ran down to see what had happened.
" Mr Sumner, now in his eleventh season as an RNLI lifeguard, explained that obvious signs of distress are not always visible when someone gets into difficulty in the water. He said: "As a lifeguard, much of what we do is maintaining a constant, vigilant watch over the beach.
"We aim to spot potential situations before they occur, or that something might be off when nothing else gives away that someone is in difficulty in the water. " Mr Sumner continued: ‘It is crucial for parents to know where their family are at all times, particularly when young people are playing near the sea. "We advise parents to always swim between the red and yellow flags at an RNLI lifeguarded beach.
"This provides the backup of another set of eyes in addition to your own, ensuring the safety of your family. " Skegness and Mablethorpe beaches are currently patrolled every day by RNLI lifeguards between 10am and 6pm, and from Saturday, July 11, daily patrols will also start at Sutton-On-Sea until Sunday, September 6. Arun Gray, a lifeguard supervisor for all three beaches, has been working for the RNLI for 18 years.
He explained that it is important for people to visit a lifeguarded beach and stay between the flags if they are planning on entering the water. The 35-years-old said: "Over the May half-term we had two rescues, and four more severe first aid incidents, and then quite a few missing kids and quite a lot more minor first aids.
"On any day where the weather is nice and the beach is busy then something is happening at each beach several times a day. " He added: "In peak summer, something to some extent will typically happen multiple times a day, that could be someone has cut their foot, lost their child, or it could be a rescue or something more major in terms of first aid.
" Mr Gray explained that on hot days there can be upwards of 10,000 people on the beach, which is "a lot of people to keep an eye on", and by swimming in lifeguarded areas between the red and yellow flags it helps ensure you can be quickly reached by the RNLI if help is needed. Regardless of the weather, he added, "We will be on duty now every day between 10am and 6pm, no matter if there is nobody on the beach and it's raining, we will still be there between those hours.
" He continued: "Last year was one of the busiest seasons we ever had, and that came with a few tragic incidents, and already in the last school holidays there has been a few around the country. "It's really important to emphasise how important it us to come to a lifeguarded beach so you are being watched and if you do need help there is someone there who can provide it. "
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