17 people rescued from sea off Bournemouth Pier
More than a dozen swimmers were rescued near Bournemouth Pier after a sudden flash-rip current swept them out to sea
17 people have been rescued after getting swept out to see off Bournemouth Pier Beach.
They were caught in sudden flash-rip current.
RNLI lifeguards were monitoring the red and yellow flagged area on Bournemouth Pier shorty before 1pm yesterday afternoon (Monday 30 August) when they noticed a large group of people enjoying the sea on the east side of the beach. Due to the number of people within the group, one of the lifeguards decided to paddle out on a rescue board to speak to the group and offer advice.
As the lifeguard was paddling over to the group, a flash-rip current started to form, and the group were swept out to sea.
The RNLI lifeguard immediately made his way over to the group and assisted six casualties onto the rescue board whilst calling over to his colleagues for assistance. Within minutes, nine RNLI lifeguards were on the water assisting the group to safety. The charity’s lifeguards brought all 17 casualties safely back ashore using rescue boards and an RNLI rescue water craft.
Back on dry land, one person from the group was checked over by an on-site medic but thankfully all were safe and well after the incident.
Ethan Fox, RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor said:
"The rescue was a great team effort by the RNLI lifeguards, with every member of the lifeguard team working together to assist all members of the group to safety.
"It’s very unusual for a flash-rip current to develop in this area, but when they do form they develop quickly. Thankfully the group were well prepared and had followed the charity’s advice by swimming between the red and yellow flags – this is the area that’s closely monitored by the lifeguards throughout the day. If this would have happened outside the flags, the lifeguards would not have been able to respond so quickly and assist the large group safely back to shore."