Warning after lifeguard rescues two women on paddle boards in Skegness

The incident happened around 11.40am on Sunday.

RNLI lifeguard Isaac Banham was called out to rescue two stand-up paddleboarders who had been blown offshore approximately 500m outside the red and yellow flags at Skegness.

Isaac said: ‘The paddleboarders were caught by strong winds and couldn’t make it back to the beach.

‘They had flipped off their boards on the other side of the pier.’

The 17-year-old lifeguard quickly acted and paddled out to the casualties using a rescue board.

A lifeboat was paged prior to the rescue but stood down as the lifeguard had already swiftly brought the two paddleboarders to shore before it had launched.

The two women received a welfare check back on the beach at the lifeguard unit.

They were offered safety advice on potential harm they could have encountered such as inhaling water and were provided with information on secondary drowning.

The lifeguards advised them to seek medical assistance if they showed any signs of injury.

Taryne-Rose Cullen, RNLI Water Safety Delivery Support, North and East, said: ‘Whether you are a beginner or more experienced with stand-up paddleboarding, we advise you to follow key safety measures."

These include:

Wearing a buoyancy aid that provides extra floatation in the water should you fall in

Carrying a mobile phone in a waterproof pouch to use in an emergency
Wearing the correct leash to stay connected to your board if you get into trouble and need help to stay afloat
Avoid offshore winds that can quickly blow you and your paddleboard far out to sea, making it difficult to paddle back to shore.

Offshore winds are unpredictable but can be identified by the orange windsock on lifeguarded beaches. aryne added.. The RNLI urges people not to take inflatables into the sea as they can get pulled out from shore within seconds.

Taryne added: ‘To help prevent paddleboarding incidents, consider other water users by learning the rights of way in the surf. This can save you and others getting injured.

‘In a coastal emergency call 999 and ask for the Coastguard or, if you are inland, ask for the Fire and Rescue service.’

For more information on how to stay safe while paddleboarding, please visit: https://rnli.org/safety/choose-your-activity/stand-up-paddle-boarding