Keynsham
  Lifesaving Club

On Sat 23rd June 08, Keynsham Lifesaving Club swapped the pool for the beach to train alongside Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps. The day started with a quick orientation session and safety brief, followed by a game to get everyone thinking about the hazards posed by the beach environment. Lauren, Helen, Tim and Pat's team successfully identified the most hazards (Though I'm still not sure that "Lobsters" and "Stupid People" actually present a significant risk).

With the briefing out of the way, we hit the sand to warm-up ready for the first beach based session - an introduction to beach competition events. After practicing sprint starts on sand (Surprisingly difficult) we learnt how to pass the baton in a beach relay race.

The cloudy weather kept the crowds at bay giving us plenty of room to practice the international sport of “beach flags”. Competitors start this event lying face-down on the sand; on the starting signal, they jump to their feet and race to grab a baton from 20m away. Competitive events like Beach Flags help lifeguards hone the quick reactions and speed needed for real-life rescues. Jon's long legs took him to the final heat, but he was beaten in the final run-off by Jen from Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps who snatched the baton in a thrilling finale.

After the running session it was time to don our wetsuits and head into the sea. The cold water was shock to some, but undeterred we learnt how to sprint through the shallows by lifting our legs high out of the water, then dolphin diving under the waves to get out through the surf to reach a casualty as quickly as possible. Once everyone had mastered the basics we split into pairs and practiced rescuing weak swimmers with a torpedo buoy, helping them up the beach and treating them for shock.

Following a short lunch-break we headed back into the water equipped with Malibu boards. These specially adapted surf boards can be used to rescue swimmers out beyond the surf line. The waves had been building steadily throughout the day which made simply staying on the Malibu boards a challenge in itself. After a few nose-dives and capsizes, most people were ready to attempt a rescue. Keeping the board upright whilst positioning the casualty on the front proved hard enough on the beach, let alone in the surf, but with a helping hand most people managed a rescue or two.

During the final session Elaine taught us to use the Reel and line to pull swimmers out of the water. The rescuer swam out to the casualty wearing a quick-release harness attached to a drum of rope. On reaching the casualty they signalled to the team on shore, who pulled the rescuer and casualty to safety. Dragging the rope out through the breakers was quite a challenge and everyone had to work as team to save the casualty.

At the end of the day, we all left the beach tired, but happy, having gained an insight into the challenging role of a beach lifeguard. Thanks must go to Bournemouth Lifeguard Corps for all their help in organising this highly successful day, and to Elaine Lewis and Christian Wood for their enthusiastic teaching.