This document is a
summary of some of the more serious incidents which have occurred on Rest Bay
during the 2005 season. It includes all rescues and assistances performed and
all occasions where a casualty was transported to hospital by ambulance
(Medivac). Numerous other first aids and other incidents occurred during the
season and are listed below.
Rescues: 13
Assistance: 11
First Aid: 126
Incidents where
patient was advised to attend casualty: 18
Medivac: 5
Sunday 18th
September 2005
Some of the
biggest spring tides of the year and surf of approximately 3 foot meant the
current was very strong. Lifeguards made numerous announcements to warn the
public of the danger however the following rescues could not be prevented during
the incoming tide:
17.00 RESCUE A man in his 20’s got into difficulties
whilst surfing and was drifting dangerously close to the point. Lifeguards
noticed he was struggling and launched the Surf Rescue IRB to rescue him and
return him to the beach.
IRB Crew: Mike Kay
(coxswain), Chris Page (crewperson)
17.30 RESCUE A man in his late 40’s got into difficulties
and was drifting passed the point. Surf Rescue IRB launched and rescued him
returning him to the beach.
IRB Crew: Chris
Page (coxswain), Sarah Davies (crewperson)
Duty Lifeguards:
Chris Page, Gemma Lewis, Sarah Davies
Conditions: 3 foot
surf, Light SW wind, Incoming tide
Tuesday 23rd
August 2005
11.10 RESCUE A 14 year old body boarder got into
difficulties in the rip current at the point side of the bay. The tide was
dropping but there was a strong rip running along the rocks. Gareth swam over
to him and assisted him back into the beach.
Duty Lifeguards:
Gareth Davies, Sarah Davies, Andrew Murphy
Conditions: 4 foot
surf, Strong SW wind
Saturday 20th
August 2005
13.30 RESCUE 39
year old kite surfer lost his kite board and was in difficulties approximately
100m off the point at Rest Bay. The tide was fully out and he was drifting in
direction of Hutchwns point. The Surf Rescue IRB was launched and initially
stood by as the man wished to swim ashore. After approximately 5 minutes he
realised this would not be possible so ditched his kite and swam ashore whilst
the rescue boat recovered his kite. Whilst the IRB returned back into the main
bay it performed a quick search for the kite board which was recovered and
returned to the kite surfer.
17.50 RESCUE A girl in her 20’s on a body board was
battling against the strong current and drifting in the direction of the point.
The current was particularly strong due to the combination of the largest tides
of the year and a strong SW wind. The Surf Rescue IRB was launched going out
through 4-5 foot surf and rescued the girl seconds before she would have been
swept onto the rocks.
18.30 ASSISTANCE A boy on a surf board was assisted back to
shore by Chris Page on a malibu rescue board. He was drifting dangerously close
to rocks.
Duty Lifeguards:
Chris Page, Gemma Lewis, Sarah Davies
IRB Crew: Chris
Page (coxswain), Gemma Lewis (crewperson)
Tide: Low Tide –
13.55 High Tide – 19.55
Friday 19th
August 2005
16.30 RESCUE A 35 year old windsurfer had got into
difficulties approximately 200m off the point at Rest Bay. He was struggling
against the wind and tide and drifting rapidly in direction of Hutchwns point.
Surf Rescue IRB was launched to assist him. They made contact with him after a
few minutes due to progress being hindered by heavy seas. On arrival it was
decided best action would be to de-rig the sail in order to save his equipment.
Once the kit was packed up the IRB had drifted well passed Hutchwns point. The
windsurfer and equipment was returned safely to the beach at Rest Bay at around
16.55.
17.15 RESCUE The Surf Rescue IRB was launched to a 29 year
old surfer who was drifting dangerously close to the the point at Rest Bay. He
was struggling to paddle against the very strong current. The IRB got to him
through heavy surf just as he started to drift passed the point. The IRB had to
time its approach carefully to avoid being caught out by a large wave. The IRB
performed a quick pick up negotiating a large wave moments after picking the
casualty up. The man was taken back into the main bay further up current where
he continued surfing.
Duty Lifeguards:
Gareth Davies, Gemma Lewis, Gareth Davies (Jnr).
Voluntary
Lifeguards: Chris Page
IRB Crew: Chris
Page (coxswain), Gemma Lewis (crewperson)
Conditions: Sunny
intervals, Strong SW wind, 4-5 foot surf, incoming tide
Tuesday 16th
August 2005
16.00 ASSISTANCE Two boys approximately 75m from shore in a
dinghy were assisted back into shallower water by Hywel Davies on a malibu
rescue board.
Duty Lifeguard:
Chris Page, Gemma Lewis, Sarah Davies
Voluntary
Lifeguards: Hywel Davies
Conditions: Sunny,
Light SW wind, 1 foot surf, incoming tide
Monday 8th
August 2005
14.05 MEDIVAC A member of public alerted lifeguards at
lifeguard station to a lady in her late fifties who had fallen on rocks in golf
bay suffering injuries to her ankle. Gareth Davies attended the scene on the
quad bike. He informed base that an ambulance would be required and tended to
her injuries which included a suspected broken ankle. When the ambulance crew
arrived the casualty was moved using a stretcher to the lifeguard 4x4 and
transported across the beach to the ambulance waiting at the lifeguard station.
Duty Lifeguards:
Gareth Davies, Keith Batten, Chris Page
Conditions: Hot and
sunny, SW wind
Sunday 7th
August 2005
15.10 MEDIVAC Keith, who was on patrol at waters edge in
4x4 was alerted to a female casualty in her late fifties in Golf Bay suffering
breathing difficulties. He alerted lifeguards at base who met him at the scene
with oxygen equipment on the quad bike. Oxygen therapy was administered.
Casualty was transported from the beach in the 4x4 and met by an ambulance
waiting at the lifeguard station.
Duty Lifeguards:
Keith Batten, Chris Page, Gemma Lewis
Conditions: Sunny,
SW wind
Thursday 21st
July 2005
16.30 ASSISTANCE 3 girls got into trouble due to strong
current towards the point. They were assisted out of the water by Gareth Davies
and Sarah Davies.
17.00 RESCUE A boy got into difficulties and was drifting
towards the rocks at the point. Gareth Davies paddled out on a rescue board and
brought the boy back into the beach.
Duty Lifeguards:
Sarah Davies, Gareth Davies (Jnr.), Jenni Jones
Conditions: Overcast,
Strong SW wind, 1-2 foot messy surf
Sunday 4th
July 2005
16.45 RESCUE 10 year old boy failed to move over despite
tannoy announcements and was now drifting dangerously close to rocks. He was
struggling against the strong current. Rescued from water by Chris Page using
rescue tube.
Duty Lifeguards:
Chris Page, Gemma Lewis and Gareth Davies (Jnr.)
Conditions:
Overcast, Strong SW wind, 3-4 foot messy surf
Saturday 25th
June 2005
16.10 RESCUE 29 year old kite surfer got into difficulties
so ditched kite and swam ashore. Due to strong (NE) offshore wind his kite
began blowing out to sea. A windsurfer went across to attempt to stop it but
his windsurfing rig became tangled in the lines. The kite and windsurfer were
now drifting approx. 400m offshore. Surf Rescue IRB launched at 16.12 with kite
surfer on board in order to recover the kite. The lines were untangled and kite
was deflated and brought back to shore in the IRB. The windsurfer returned to
shore unaided.
IRB Crew: Chris
Page (coxswain), Gemma Lewis (crewperson)
Duty Lifeguards:
Chris Page, Gemma Lewis and Sarah Davies
Conditions:
Overcast, Strong NE offshore wind, no surf
Thursday 23rd
June 2005
18.10 RESCUE Two longboarders caught in strong current
around the point on incoming tide. Due to the spring tides and the surf the
current was flowing very rapidly. The surfers were unable to paddle against it.
The Surf Rescue IRB was launched to rescue both surfers who were drifting down
into the cove.
18.15 ASSISTANCE Following the above rescue a surfer who was
finding it difficult to paddle against the current was picked up by the Surf
Rescue IRB and dropped further up current to prevent him drifting any closer to
the point.
IRB Crew: Chris
Page (coxswain), Rhys Brothers (crewman)
Duty Lifeguards:
Chris Page, Gemma Lewis and Rhys Brothers
Conditions: Hot and
Sunny, Light SW wind, 3-4 foot surf
Friday 17th
June 2005
13.25 ASSISTANCE 20 year old surfer caught in rip current
towards point on incoming tide. His proximity to rocks meant that rescue from
the water was not possible. He was assisted onto the rocks by Chris Page and
Gemma Lewis.
17.15 RESCUE 17 year old surfer caught in rip current
towards point on outgoing tide. He was drifting in direction of the rocks. Surf
Rescue IRB launched to rescue the casualty and his surfboard.
IRB Crew: Chris
Page (coxswain), Gemma Lewis (crewperson)
Duty Lifeguards:
Gemma Lewis, Sarah Davies and Rhys Brothers
Other Lifeguards
Involved: Chris Page
Conditions: Cloudy,
Light SW wind, 3-4 foot surf
Saturday 7th
May 2005
13.45 FIRST AID 29 year old kiteboarder took a nasty fall on
beach in front of golf club whilst flying his kite, injuring his ankle. Treated
for shock and ice applied to his ankle. Transported from beach using quad bike
and trailer. Monitored in first aid room whilst friend collected car and
lifeguards advised him to seek further medical advice.
Duty Lifeguards:
Chris Page and Gemma Lewis
Conditions: Sunny,
strong SW wind
Monday 2nd
May 2005 (Bank Holiday)
16.20 ASSISTANCE Man capsized canoe near to point. He was
drifting close to the point. Hywel Davies who was patrolling on the quad bike
was alerted and proceeded to the point where he assisted the man and canoe from
the water.
Duty Lifeguards:
Chris Page and Gemma Lewis
Other Lifeguards
Involved: Hywel Davies
Conditions: Sunny
Spells, SW Wind, 1-2 foot surf, falling tide
Saturday 30th
April 2005
13.15 RESCUE 14
year old boy on bodyboard caught in rip current and swept towards point on
outgoing tide. Unable to make his own way back to shore. Surf Rescue IRB
launched to rescue boy and return him to the beach.
IRB Crew: Chris
Page (coxswain), Andrew Murphy (crewman)
Duty Lifeguards:
Chris Page and Andrew Murphy
Other Lifeguards
Involved: Gareth Davies
Conditions: Sunny, light offshore winds, 1-2 foot surf, falling tide
