Warning about hidden dangers after 'nearly fatal' incidents at Fife beach
A warning about the hidden dangers of the water at Tentsmuir Sands in Fife has been issued following two incidents that could have proved fatal in recent weeks.
Both incidents involved people enjoying a day at the coast but a rip current quickly turned the water more dangerous.
Five people, four of whom were under 18 years old, required hospitalisation following incidents on subsequent days in mid-August.
Coastguard rescue teams from Dundee, St Andrews and Leven were sent, alongside the Broughty Ferry RNLI and the search and rescue helicopter from Inverness, on both occasions.
Rip currents are powerful flows of water that can be hard to spot. They can sweep the most experienced and strongest of people off their feet and out to deeper water in moments.
They tend to flow at 1–2mph but can reach 4–5mph, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer.
Rips are especially powerful in larger surf, but never underestimate the power of any water. They are also found around river mouths, estuaries and man-made structures like piers and groynes.
The water can often look deceptively calm, with no wave activity in it. It may also be a different colour or rippled but it differs from the general pattern of the waves and can be spotted from the shore.
If you can, always choose a lifeguarded beach and swim between the yellow and red flags.
Ross Greenhill, Coastal Operations Area Commander for HM Coastguard, said: "Tentsmuir Sands is a popular spot for those looking to take a dip in sunny weather.
"It is a beautiful bit of our coastline but the water can be very dangerous with rip currents – and that can catch the best of swimmers out at any time, as we saw with two recent incidents.
"Neither turned fatal fortunately, but both so easily could have done, rip currents are very dangerous if you don’t know how to react."