Lifeguards sound alert on deadly rip currents

The warning came from the RNLI after an incident at Sandsend, near Whitby, last Friday when two young boys were pulled out of a current by their father.

RNLI lifeguard Dan Wordsworth, who is based at Whitby beach, said: “We were alerted to the incident by the coastguard and my colleagues Josh Jones and Callum Norman used the lifeguard patrol vehicle to make their way to the incident.

“They were first on the scene but thankfully, the boy’s father had managed to pull them out of the rip and back to the shore.

“The children were shaken up but appeared otherwise uninjured,” he added.

On Sunday, rip currents struck again at Whitby, catching out two teenage girls who were in the water with their mother.

Mr Wordsworth said: “Tidal conditions meant the lifeguards on duty had to constantly adjust the safe swimming zone depicted by the red and yellow flags on the beach and be incredibly vigilant while monitoring it.”

The three women had been swimming between the flags when they drifted out of the area with the tide. They quickly got caught in a current but were spotted by RNLI lifeguards John and Josh Jones who were also on duty.

Mr Wordsworth added: “Josh went to the swimmers on the charity’s rescue board and brought them all back to shore, shaken up but otherwise okay.”

The busy weekend for Whitby RNLI ended on Monday when Mr Wordsworth responded to a young boy drifting towards rocks on an inflatable dinghy.

He said: “There was a really strong offshore wind and he was drifting towards the rocks when I reached him.

“It was a young lad on holiday here from abroad who was in the dinghy and he wasn’t aware of the dangers of taking an inflatable out in strong winds.”