Paddleboarders warned to be careful after increase in rescues in Wales this summer

Paddleboarders are being warned to take precautions when heading out to see, after an increase in rescues this summer.

At Aberavon beach in Port Talbot, they had 14 rescues in one weekend.

For the RNLI it's becoming an increasing problem, they're asking people to take a mobile phone in a waterproof case out with them, and to take a bouyancy aid

"So we always want people to come to the beach and have fun while they're paddleboarding," said sam Johns, a lifeguard at the beach.

"It's pretty similar to driving a car- you wouldn't go without a seatbelt."

Paddleboarding boomed in the pandemic, with many taking up the sport, but now there are worries that some haven't learnt how to do it safely.

The number of paddleboarders being rescued at sea is now six times higher than it was five years ago, last year alone, lifeboat crews had to launch 155 times to rescue paddleboarders, compared to just 52 in 2019.

Matthew Barker-Smith is a three times national champion paddleboarder and instructor in Swansea.

"You see people, using the paddle the wrong ay around, standing on the board incorrectly." he says.

"Maybe someone who hadn't considered paddleboarding before and then sees it in a supermarket chain, fancies having a go, chucking a couple of hundred quid at it, says 'why do I need a lesson?'"

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