A video of two paddleboarders being rescued off the Fife coast plays a leading role in this year’s RNLI summer safety campaign.
Anstruther lifeboat crews hauled two young women to safety as they were swept three-quarters of a mile out to sea last June.
The pair can be heard thanking crew members and saying they didn’t think they would manage to get back themselves following the rescue off Kingsbarns.
At the time, the RNLI said the alarm was raised “in the nick of time”.
The frightening incident was one of many involving paddleboards across Scotland last year, leading to an 86% increase in lifeboat rescues.
And with schools about to break off for the summer, the charity has issued lifesaving advice to keep people safe.
They have also released a list of which Tayside and Fife beaches will have lifeguards this year.
How to keep safe while paddleboarding
Laura Erskine, the RNLI’s water safety manager for Scotland, is keen to help people enjoy their paddleboards.
But she has issued simple advice on what to do in case things go wrong.
She says people should:
- Wear a buoyancy aid
- Carry a phone in a waterproof pouch
- Wear the correct leash
- Avoid offshore winds.
And she adds: “If you end up in the water unexpectedly or are in trouble in the water without your board then float on your back.”
If you see anyone in trouble in the sea, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.
Frightening incident highlights dangers
Paddleboarder Sheena Thompson’s story is a prime example of what can happen.
Sheena, from Inverness, says she would never have survived without the Wick volunteer lifeboat crew last summer.
She says: “I started to head out on my paddleboard from the shore but the wind started to push me out very quickly.
“I shouted to my family on the shore to say I was in trouble but they couldn’t hear me.
“For a while, I tried to get back to shore but my arms got really tired and sore.
“I realised I couldn’t swim anymore and I couldn’t really hold onto the board very well if I’d fallen off.
“So, I just laid down flat on the board and I hoped and prayed someone would come and save me.”
Seven Tayside and Fife beaches with lifeguards
Meanwhile, siblings Tamzin and Ruaridh McQueen are among dozens of RNLI lifeguards preparing to patrol beaches in Tayside and Fife.
They will provide safety advice and perform rescues if necessary.
Last year, the lifeguards helped 279 people who were among 234,000 visitors to the eight beaches with patrols.
Seven of those are in Tayside and Fife. They are:
- Silver Sands, Aberdour
- Burntisland
- Leven
- Elie
- St Andrews East Sands
- St Andrews West Sands
- Broughty Ferry.
The eighth beach is Coldingham in the Scottish Borders.
