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Four rescued at Freshwater West during final patrol weekend

The RNLI has described the 5 September rescues, including a father and son caught in a rip current and a person trapped by a spear line.

Louise Pryce ·

Archive view of Freshwater West beach, August 2014. Photo: Mario Sánchez Prada from Staines, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Not the rescue.

Freshwater West in August 2014, not the September 2026 incident. Photo: Mario Sánchez Prada from Staines, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Original photographCC BY-SA 2.0

Lifeguards rescued four people at Freshwater West on 5 September, the RNLI said in an account published on 23 September. A father and son were brought ashore after a rip current swept them out to sea.

A lifeguard then went to help someone beside an overturned kayak and found a second person entangled in a spear line caught on an underwater reef. The line was pulling that person beneath the surface. The lifeguard entered the water, cut the line and brought them ashore before returning for the kayaker.

Patrols have ended

The RNLI’s beach page lists this year’s daily patrol season as 20 June to 6 September, from 10am to 6pm. This is a retrospective rescue report, not a live incident or confirmation of lifeguard cover today.

The charity urges visitors to check conditions and avoid entering the water alone. If someone is in difficulty, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Its Float to Live advice is to lean back, keep the ears in the water and regain control of breathing before seeking help.

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