The RNLI and Her Majesty’s Coastguard are reminding families to take care when visiting the coast as new figures reveal that during the school summer holidays* last year, of the 41 lives saved by RNLI lifeguards 39 per cent were children under 13.
As schools prepare to break up in England and Wales, RNLI beach lifeguards, are expecting to be extremely busy again during the long summer break.
The RNLI and HM Coastguard are asking those visiting the coast to choose a lifeguarded beach and be aware of some basic advice to keep themselves and their families safe.
Last year RNLI lifeguards aided a total of 11,959 people during the school summer holidays. Of those, children under the age of 13 were the most assisted age group with 4,968 aided and 16 lives saved.
Steve Instance, from the RNLI Water Safety team, said: “With an estimated 35m people planning to visit the UK coast this summer**, our lifeguards will be extremely busy during the school summer holidays with younger children, in particular, needing assistance more than any other age group.
“To stay safe, we are reminding families to choose a lifeguarded beach where possible and swim between the red and yellow flags which is the safest area as it is constantly monitored by our highly-trained lifeguards.
“A simple skill we ask everyone of any age to remember is how to float to live if they find themselves in difficulty in the water. Lean back like a starfish, using your arms and legs to stay afloat. This will allow you to control your breathing, then call for help or swim to safety. The technique has been proven to save lives.”
Someone who knows this well is 11-year-old Finley Hassall. Having travelled from the Midlands with his family, the schoolboy was on holiday in Cornwall and had been catching some waves on his bodyboard when he heard cries for help from another child.
Finley said: “I looked around and saw waves going over this boy’s head and he was splashing and struggling. He was clearly panicking. I had read in my RNLI Storm Force magazine how to float like a starfish so that is what I asked him to do.
“I said I had done this at my swimming lessons before and it will be fine if he could float on his back. He went onto his back and I was talking to him and trying to get him to take deep breaths to calm him down. An RNLI lifeguard soon arrived to check we were both ok and helped find the family of the boy before heading off to help two other people.”
Throughout the summer months, a children’s RNLI Seaside Safety advert will be broadcast on TV channels with the catchy song reminding those visiting the coast to float like a starfish if they find themselves in difficulty in the water.
The RNLI’s key water safety advice for 7 – 14 year-olds is:
- Stop and think – Always swim in a safe place.
- Stay together – Always swim with an adult, younger children and non-swimmers should always be within arm’s reach.
- Float – If you find yourself in trouble in the water, float on your back like a starfish.
- Call 999 in an emergency and ask for the Coastguard.
* figures for England and Wales summer holidays – July 23 to Sept 1 2021
** April – 30 September. Basis Research, RNLI Water Safety Survey, April 2022. Representative sample of 1,013 UK adults aged 16-64 / 505 Irish adults aged 16-64Storm Force Magazine is for young RNLI supporters. More information can be found at https://rnli.org/support-us/become-a-member/become-a-storm-force-member
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