Body-board warning after pair rescued

The man and the 11-year-old were rescued by Scarborough RNLI lifeguards on Tuesday after getting caught in a rip current while body boarding in North Bay.

The pair were spotted by lifeguards patrolling the beach, who could see that they appeared to be in difficulties and could not get back to the shore.

Lifeguards Phil Dorman and Dave Jackson paddled out to them on their rescue boards and realised the father and daughter were caught in a rip current and were getting swept further out to sea.

Mr Dorman said: "When you get caught in a rip, it can be difficult to get out of it again and sometimes people panic and get into real difficulties.

"Fortunately, though, the man and his daughter were calm and possibly didn't realise the danger they were in until we reached them. I think they were relieved to see us, though, and were happy that we were able to reassure them and bring them back in to the beach."

The lifeguards each took one of the pair on their rescue boards. The man and girl, from Scarborough, were checked over when they reached the shore but did not need any medical attention.

Rips are strong currents running out to sea that can easily take swimmers from shallow water out beyond their depth.

People who get caught in them are advised to stay calm and try to wade back to land rather than swimming, while keeping hold of their boards or inflatables to help them float.

They should shout or wave for help. They should never try to swim against the rip, or they will tire. Instead they should swim parallel to the beach until they reach a point where they can make for the shore.