HEADING OUT FOR A SWIM? DON'T GET DRAGGED AWAY

HM Coastguard is reminding the public of the dangers of what lies beneath, after seven people were rescued from a rip current while swimming off a Gwynedd beach at the weekend.

Holyhead Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was contacted just after 2.45pm on Sunday 11 August with reports that people were struggling in the water at Black Rock near Porthmadog. The Harlech and Criccieth Coastguard Rescue Teams were sent to the scene, along with the Criccieth RNLI lifeboat and the search and rescue helicopter from RAF Valley.

Six children and an adult were pulled from the water on to the lifeboat, and taken ashore were they were met and looked after by Coastguard Rescue Officers. The adult and a six-year-old boy were treated for the effects of the cold on scene, before being taken to hospital to be checked over.

It’s one of five rescues already this month where Harlech and Criccieth Coastguard Rescue Teams have been called in to help people in difficulty in the water, including swimmers struggling with currents and those who’ve been blown out to sea on inflatables.

Derek Roberts, HM Coastguard Tremadoc Sector Manager, said:

“It’s important to remember that even though the sea may look calm on the surface, there is the danger of rip tides and strong currents underneath. We recommend that you swim at a lifeguarded beach, take note of any warning signs and best to tell someone on the beach what you are doing so they can keep an eye on you.

“Blow up boats and toys are great fun in the swimming pool, but we do not recommend their use at the seaside. As we’ve seen recently, they can quickly be swept out to sea.”

Coastguard Rescue Officers can be called out to incidents at any time, day or night. They are highly trained in search and rescue techniques. These can include navigation and map reading, technical mud rescue, water rescue, rope rescue, cliff rescue, assisting helicopter operations and incident prevention.

The Tremadoc sector is made up of six Coastguard Rescue Teams: Barmouth, Harlech, Criccieth, Abersoch, Aberdaron, and Porthdinllaen.

There are 3,500 Coastguard Rescue Officers in the UK, divided up into more than 350 teams that are strategically placed around our coastline.

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