RNLI lifeguards assist teenagers on homemade raft in Cornwall

Lifeguards came to the rescue of three teens in Cornwall who'd gone out to sea on a raft but didn't have a plan to get ashore safely.

RNLI lifeguards at Fistral in Cornwall assisted three teenagers on Wednesday 31 August who’d gone into the water on a homemade raft.

The teenagers, two boys and one girl, were spotted by local lifeguards at around 5pm in the afternoon. Although they didn’t appear to be in any trouble lifeguard George Tickner from north Finstral launched the rescue water craft and was assisted by fellow lifeguard Mark Oliver from south Fistral.

The three teenagers were about 500m out to sea on a homemade raft. Although they were not in trouble they didn’t have a plan to get back to shore safely.
The lifeguards transported the three people ashore and dismantled the raft.

RNLI lifeguard supervisor Lewis Timson said: “The teenagers were not in any difficulty but on speaking to the lifeguards, they realised they didn’t know how to get out of the water, as the raft wouldn’t have made it through the surf and they couldn’t get back onto the rocks. The lifeguards brought them ashore and took apart the raft, recovering as much as possible. The remainder of the raft washed ashore with the swell shortly after.

“The teenagers were very lucky that the lifeguards were able to help them before they found themselves in difficulty and the situation became much more serious. The sea is extremely unpredictable and conditions can change very quickly, so we strongly advise people to take extra care when going out on the water. We wouldn’t recommend people go out to sea on anything other than a sea-worthy vessel, carrying a means for calling for help and wearing a lifejacket. It’s also very important to be aware of the tide, weather and surf conditions when on the water, as these can have a significant impact on your safety.” .