The RNLI

Beach Safety

Keep your Children Safe

When you first arrive make sure to agree a meeting place if any one of your group becomes seperated. This could be the dedicated lost children post, or a beach shop for example. If you do become seperated however it is important not to panic. Thousands of children are reported missing every year, and in the vast majority of cases it is only minutes before they are found. Remember the beach is a busy place!

Notify a life guard as soon as you feel your child is missing. If no life guard is available then notify the local police, who can also help you.
Remember to give a complete description, as well as the exact place you last saw/were with them.
When looking for your child make sure no other members of your party become lost.
Tell the appropriate authority immediately if you find your child, so they know to stop searching.

Surf Safely

With the following advice you can ensure you surf in safety, and enjoy your time at the beach!

Always give yourself a thorough warm up before entering the sea. Surfing is a demanding pastime and your body has to be ready for the experience.
Avoid going out by yourself, and make sure your board has a leash. This will ensure you do not become seperated (and that you don't lose your board!).
Before leaving the beach, check you have the best place to surf, either with an experienced surfer, or the lifeguard.
When you do hit the waves, make sure you respect other surfers, for their safety as well as yours.
And remember, only surf within your ability.

Where to surf? It's easy! Body boarders should only surf with the red and yellow flag, whilst surfers should go out between the black and white chequered flags.

Inflatables and the Sea

Although inflatables are great fun in enclosed water, on the open sea they can become very hazardous. If you must use your inflatable, then the following can help minimise the dangers.

Ensure any inflatable in use has a supervised line connected to the beach.
Always listen to the life guard's advice.
Strong winds or large waves (or both!) are signs that you shouldn't use inflatables.

Where can I take to the sea? Remember, only use your inflatable in gentle conditions, and between the red and yellow flags.

Know your Flags!

The red and yellow flag indicates that the water is safest to enter for swimming or body boarding. Two flags flying designates an area patrolled by life guards.

This could be because of weather conditions or for other reasons, but you should never enter the water when you see the red flag.

The black and white chequered flags outline an area of water used by non-powered water craft (for example, surfers) and these areas should not be entered by swimmers or other water users, for their own safety and the safety of others.

Orange windsock flying? No inflatable should be used in the sea if the windsock is flying. This demonstrates strong wind conditions, and anyone using an inflatable could find themselves in trouble.