Sea, beach & the RNLI

When coming to Cornwall, it is important to understand the dangers of the sea and who is there to help.

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

"With you by our side, we can move closer to this world. And right now, with our income falling during one of the toughest times the world has ever faced, we need your help more than ever."

About the RNLI

Every day, people across the UK get in different kinds of trouble whilst at sea. The RNLI work hard to tackle this problem. The RNLI are a charity that need support from people to be able to stay helping us. They have saved over 143000 lives since 1824. They also help to educate people about the sea and how to get out of danger. This has helped to save countless more lives as well.

What do they provide?

As well as a there 24/7 rescue lifeboat service, they also provide seasonal lifeguard cover at beaches across the coast. There trained professionals provide excellent support. They all understand when and how to help people. From finding missing belongings to performing CPR, they are the best at what they do. They also provide sessions where they talk about water safety.

Rip Currents

Although we live in a beautiful place surrounded by sea, the biggest killer isn't sharks. It is very common for people to get caught in rip currents. A rip current is a body of water that takes you out to sea. Yet, it is not the rip current that kills you. It's panicking. If you find yourself in a rip current, do not panic! If you are not so strong of a swimmer or you're a bit tired, let the current take you out to sea and it will eventually stop, meaning you can swim straight back into safety. If you are more of a strong swimmer, swim parallel to the beach to get yourself out of the rip current.

Waves

Although waves are a lot of fun, sometimes they can be extremely powerful and can cause a lot of damage. Its always safer to learn about waves before you face them.

Waves are exciting but sometimes the power of them can seriously hurt people. There are 4 different types of waves:

Dumping~ These waves are possibly the most dangerous waves. They break with tremendous force and can easily throw a swimmer down to the sand, causing head and neck injuries.

Surging~ These waves may never break, because the water below the wave is too deep. However, the wave still has speed and power and can still take a swimmer out to sea.

Standing~ These waves are usually formed by 2 forces of water meeting. They can cause serious injuries if a swimmer is caught in the middle.

Spilling~ These are the nicest waves. The crest of the wave tumbles down the face of the wave, making them nice surf.

Cold water shock

Cold water shock is caused when your head and body is suddenly exposed to cold water. It causes your body to freak out and can cause tight lungs and irregular breathing. If caught in this scenario is is important not to panic! Try and steady your breathing straight away. Its important that if you are still in the water, you try to relax. Once you have settled you breathing, call for help or swim to safety.

Tides

The tide goes in and out twice each day. There is roughly 6 hours between each high and low tide. Beaches often look different depending on the tide, this can cause a lot of problems including getting stranded. It is important to know the tide times before visiting the beach as you will be less likely to get stranded.

Flags

There are 3 types of waves you should be aware of:

Red flag~ If an all red flag is flying at the beach, this means you must not enter the water at all!

Red and yellow stripes~ This is a patrolled swimming area, you can bathe in between these flags.

Black and white checkered~ No swimming in this area. This area is used by surfers and windsurfers.