A drowning man was saved from the sea by lifeguards while doing pre-summer training.
The swimmer got into difficulty in strong currents.
The lifeguards weren’t on duty but were on the beach for training.
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They were in the middle of a debrief when the alert came in from coastguards.
The swimmer had been waving for help in near gale force wind, big swells and incredibly strong currents off Praa Sands, near Helston, Cornwall.
Senior lifeguard Matt Trewhella dived in with a rescue board to try and locate the man.
A local surfer also tried to help but quickly returned to the beach as the waves and currents were too strong.
Matt paddled around 650ft off-shore and managed to find the casualty, who was only just keeping himself above the water.
Using his rescue board he raised the man out of the water but the pair were being washed towards rocks and cliffs.
Lead lifeguard supervisor Adam Harris then entered the sea followed by RNLI lifeguards Dave Revell and Elliot McCluskey to assist Matt.
The casualty and the lifeguards were getting washed back onto the rocks as the wind and currents were so strong.
The team of four lifeguards eventually managed to get the casualty to shore after battling for 15 minutes in the water.
They were met by RNLI senior lifeguards Nelly Gallichan and Paul Richards as well as RNLI lifeguard Hamish Curtis-Cullen who conducted casualty care.
As the tide was still flooding the casualty was carried further up the beach to the slipway.
An ambulance then arrived and the paramedics took over the treatment.
By this point the casualty’s condition had improved, as reported by Need To Know.
A relieved Adam Harris paid tribute to his colleagues.
He said: “I’m incredibly proud of the team of nine lifeguards who although weren’t on active duty showed incredible courage and teamwork to save the life of a holidaymaker at Praa Sands.
“If we were not there I fear there would have been a completely different outcome.
“Well done to the team who entered the water, especially Matt Trewhella, who risked his own life to save another.
“Also, to Matthew and Andy for coordinating the incident and Nelly, Paul and Hamish for their casualty care skills.”
RNLI Trainer and Senior Lifeguard Matthew Stone, said: “This incident demonstrates the importance of our training.
“The team showed immense skill and determination, placing themselves in harm’s way to rescue someone in difficulty.
“Thank you to the Penlee RNLI, Porthleven Coastguard Team, SWAST ambulance and staff members from Stones reef café for assisting.”
RNLI Supervisor Andy Bray, added: “This rescue shows how important it is to visit an RNLI lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags.
RNLI lifeguard cover will be commencing at Praa Sands tomorrow (5 Apr) and then over the Easter period.
“There’s a forecast for constant strong winds creating unpredictable swell and currents to be hitting the southwest over the next few weeks, so be extra careful if you are visiting the coast and follow the advice of our RNLI lifeguard teams.”
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