Cullerboats lifeboat team on track for busiest year
"There've been years when we haven't had our first shout until March or April, but this year we had several in January," Ms Whitelaw said."One big factor is the weather has been good, so there were a lot of people on the beach before the lifeguard season started in May."We're not even in the summer holiday period yet and that tends to be when we have the most beach users."
The team, which has about 30 volunteer members of boat and shore crew, covers an an area roughly stretching to Seaton Sluice on one side and Tynemouth Longsands on the other.Despite efforts to publicise water safety messages, Ms Whitelaw says rip currents and off-shore winds can catch people by surprise.How brothers survived rip current surf terror"It can be calm within the bay and then all of a sudden they get beyond the piers and the wind catches them where they're no longer sheltered by the cliffs," she said."They're suddenly blown off-shore."
Tips to stay safe
Rip currents can reach speeds of 5mph and pull anyone caught in them out to seaThey can be difficult to spot but are "sometimes identified by a channel of churning, choppy water on the sea's surface", the RNLI saysIf caught, do not try to swim against the current, but rather try and head parallel to the shore until free from its gripFollow the RNLI's five-step "Float to Live" protocolsAdditional advice includes carrying a phone in a waterproof pouch and using the SafeTtrx app, which would quickly enable the RNLI to locate those in trouble
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