A series of several unconnected rescues took place as sea and weather conditions changed rapidly and without warning at Gylly Beach in Falmouth.
Over the course of an hour, two students, a female in her seventies and a middle-aged man were helped by coastguards, as changes in tidal conditions caught out the experienced sea swimmers, who were wearing hats, gloves and wet suits.
“It’s very rare that we see rip currents at Gylly Beach,” says ‘Falmouth Bravo’ Steve Davey, Deputy Station Officer for Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT). “But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Rip currents can happen almost anywhere and can catch all levels of swimmer by surprise.”
Two students had been enjoying sea swimming at Gylly Beach when they’d gotten into difficulties. One of the swimmers had started to ingest water and was pulled to shore by their friend. A passing off-duty coastguard had seen the pair on the beach and was able to provide casualty care for water ingestion before the coastguard team arrived on scene.
But the day was only just beginning for Falmouth team. After advising a local beach business of the unusual and challenging conditions nearby, the team had started to make their way back to the coastguard station when another call came in.
“We’d travelled about half a mile down the coast, when we initially thought we’d received a duplicate call,” says Steve, who works for Royal Cornwall Hospital outside of his coastguard role.
“We headed to the incident scene where we were frantically flagged down by an emergency caller. The sea was pumping and a lifeguard on his holiday had pulled another casualty from the water. This time, it was a female in her 70s who was drifting in and out of consciousness.
While Coastguard Rescue Officers Shaun Campbell and Mark Mansfield were working to clear the casualty’s airways of ingested water, Steve spotted another incident unfolding around 30 metres from shore – a man bopping in and out of water just beyond the breaking waves. “There was just no time to change into our dry suits, so I quickly donned my water rescue jacket, which is an inflating flotation device, and headed out on a line.”
“In the worst case, I’d prepared for losing my tether and drifting further out to sea with my casualty to be rescued. Fortunately, after I’d swam about 25 metres, I reached the casualty, and I was pulled to shore by the team.”
Time and conditions are everything in making successful rip and water rescues. “With such a poor sea state and multiple casualties, there’s very little time to prepare, operate and provide crucial care,” says Steve.
“It’s incredibly unlikely that a lifeboat would’ve been able to reach the bay to help. If we hadn’t made a rescue when we did, there’s a possibility that the casualty could have been swept further across the bay and pushed onto a reef to the West.”
Speaking about the popularity of water-based activities like sea swimming, Steve adds: “We’ve got some lovely beaches and coastal waters in Cornwall, and we don’t want to stop people enjoying the benefits of being outdoors and in the water.
“But there’s a balance to be had between taking part and deciding that conditions are too dangerous. As we reach the end of the year, the water’s colder and less predictable. Conditions change in an instant.
“Read the conditions and look at the swell and sea state. If you think it’s unwise to enter the water, don’t. You might’ve made a very sensible decision."
