Praise for off-duty lifeguard after boy caught in riptide off Cornwall beach

Off-duty lifeguard Ben Avery raised the alarm after spotting the teenage boy in difficulty. Credit: RNLI

An off-duty lifeguard has been praised after raising the alarm when a teenage boy was swept out to sea off North Cornwall.

The 13-year-old got into difficulty after getting caught in a rip tide off Trevone beach on October 27.

He was spotted by off-duty lifeguard Ben Avery, who quickly alerted his colleagues at Harlyn.

The boy was subsequently rescued in 4-6ft conditions by lifeguard brothers Jordan and Jake Dean.

Lifeguards rescued the boy from 4-6ft conditions off Trevone beach. Credit: RNLI

But Leon Bennett, who is the RNLI lifeguard supervisor for Padstow, said it was Ben’s quick-thinking that made the difference.

"At the time, Harlyn was extremely busy, so we positioned an extra lifeguard on the beach to provide additional safety cover whilst the IRB was launched,” Leon said.

"A member of the public had also called the Coastguard but because of the early call Ben had made, the lifeguards were on scene with the casualty in a matter of minutes.

"The boy had been swept out in a strong rip current behind the breaking waves and around the corner from the beach.

Ben Avery raised the alarm after spotting the teenager. Credit: RNLI

“Luckily he’d done the right thing by keeping hold of his bodyboard, which enabled him to float, and he wasn’t panicking which meant he could conserve his energy and control his breathing until the lifeguards pulled him into the IRB."

The lifeguards returned the boy to the shore at Trevone, where he met his parents.