Hero East Lothian couple rescued family swept out to sea in ferocious rip currents
An East Lothian family were rescued by a kind-hearted couple and the RNLI after they were caught up in strong rip currents off the east coast.
Three members of a family were swept out to sea after visiting Tyninghame beach on Saturday May 24 2025. Dunbar Lifeboat Station's volunteer crew had to spring into action and provided medical assistance to a man, his partner and her 12-year-old daughter, who had to be rescued during the incident.
The man had to be airlifted to hospital but all three made a full recovery after the terrifying incident. The RNLI said if it had not been for the quick actions of another family there could have been a tragic outcome.
Luckily Sean, 46, and Emma Bowman, 36, and their three children, Aaron, 10, Harvey, eight and five-year-old Sofia, from Dunbar, were also visiting Tyninghame beach on the same day. Sean swam in and had to make the difficult decision to save the girl while her mum and step-dad struggled to stay afloat, his partner Emma Picken called 999 and helped get a nearby surfer to rescue the other two.
Sean said: "I'm so glad they were all okay. If it had been an hour earlier – with no one else around – the whole family might have been swept out there and it could have been an absolute disaster."
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The other couple and girl were already in the water when their son Aaron had gone into swim not far from them. Emma said: 'Although it was warm, it was windy that day and the waves were quite high.'
After about an hour, Sean noticed the adults had moved up the beach with their two other children but the 12-year-old girl remained in the water. Sean said: 'I had to get Aaron out because it was cold and I didn't want him to freeze.
"Then the girl started screaming really loudly and I could see she was now quite far out, about 60 metres. The mum and dad ran down and said they weren't good swimmers. That's when I swam to get the girl. I could feel the pull of the rip but back home in South Africa we are taught to swim left or right, not straight out, so I swam in a diagonal to reach her. The mum swam as well but she got caught."
(Image: RNLI)
Emma witnessed Sean pulling the girl from the water but said at this point the dad had went in to try and get the mum but they were now drifting out in the rip tide.
Sean continued: "I grabbed the girl by the arms and put her up on my shoulders and we just swam back and I dropped her off. I went back in but by that stage they were right by the back breakers about 150 metres out."
While HM Coastguard paged for a Dunbar RNLI lifeboat and alerted the Scottish Ambulance Service and the police, Sean tried to take a body board to help the couple stay afloat. Sean added: "I swam out as far as I could and shouted to them to try and catch the board but the tide caught it and sent it into the rocks.
"I stayed in the water but not too deep to make sure they were ok. They were now so far out it was hard to see them. We could just see their heads bobbing up and down. I have never seen waves that big since coming to Dunbar."
Emma was alerted to a surfer and his daughter further down the beach. With Sean's guidance, he managed to reach the couple on his board.
Sean said: "He couldn't see them at first. I had to point him in the right direction but he managed to reach them. The woman did well to keep the man afloat, as I think he was struggling, and she and the surfer managed to get him on the board. They got to shore as the coastguard and lifeboat arrived, then the helicopter and the ambulance came."
Dunbar RNLI volunteers treated the casualties before passing the man to the helicopter medics and the woman and daughter into the care of the ambulance crew.
On the route to Tyninghame Beach are water safety signs warning of dangers, including rip currents, but Emma – who owns a hair salon – and Sean, who runs a recruitment company, said people need to be more aware of the risks involved with swimming on beaches without lifeguards.
Emma said: "There is a sign at the car park but it is easy to miss. I feel there needs to be more at the beach. At least this was at the weekend when there were people there. If that had been a week day when it is quieter there might not have been anybody there to save them. I couldn't even hear the girl screaming because it was so windy but Sean did."
(Image: RNLI)
Sean added: "I don't think people should swim there, if there's a constant rip tide. If you're not a strong swimmer it will just pull you."
Emma said the incident has been a powerful lesson for her children: "It's been a great learning experience for Aaron and Harvey that you can't just go and swim thinking you are going to be safe. What was also good for Aaron – because he loves the lifeboats – was to see it all unfold and to see that the RNLI is there and responsive and there are people there to help."
The RNLI has urged people to beware of strong rip currents after recent incidents at East Lothian beaches. Last weekend (Sunday August 3) people reported a strong rip current at Seacliff and previously Coast to Coast Surf School warned of dangers at Belhaven.
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Ray Cunningham, RNLI Water Safety Education Manager, said: "Rip Currents are an incredibly dangerous occurrence that can catch out even the most experienced water user and they can pop up all across the UK. You can sometimes spot a rip by seeing where water may be a little calmer where waves are or by spotting the water rushing out in a narrow channel.
"We would recommend checking out a lifeguarded beach (the nearest to Dunbar is Coldingham Bay) if you can and swim between the flags when you enter the water as this is the safest place to swim.
"If you find yourself caught in a rip the first thing to remember is don't panic, remember the RNLI's FLOAT message to keep your head above water. If on a lifeguarded beach you can raise your arms and try to call for help.
"Once you have caught your breath, you can swim parallel to the shore (sideways) which should allow you to escape the outward pull of the rip current as they are generally quite narrow. Once you are out of the rip you can then make your way back to shore.
"If you see someone caught in a rip, we don't recommend going in to rescue them, you are putting yourself at risk. Instead dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard and tell them where you are, how many people are in trouble and the situation."
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