Life saving coach gives swim safety advice

A lifesaving coach has offered advice for keeping safe in the water during warm weather.

Lucy Allix, a coach at Woolacombe Surf Life Saving Club, grew up as a competitive lifesaver and said it helped her develop her knowledge of the water.

Her advice comes amid an amber heat health alerts are in place across Devon and Cornwall.

She said: "We even have had a lot of instances with people just out surfing, even as young as nippers (7 to 13 year olds in the club), and actually ending up saving people from drowning due to their knowledge of the water."

"I've been involved since I was about two-years-old and I was really fortunate to be born down here," she said.

Allix said she grew up competing and represented England but stopped when she was about 16 or 17.

She added the best way to describe competitive lifesaving was "sport for lifeguards".

"It focuses on keeping yourself safe in the water, other people safe in the water, and then also training and keeping super fit," she said.

"I genuinely think it's one of the hardest and most brutal sports."

She said: "It's so great to have everyone down and share our love for the water and lots of people first learn to surf or learn surf life-saving.

"Spreading that joy is incredible."

She said many locals and visitors just wanted to jump in the water when the weather is hot but wanted people to remember cold water shock was a risk, especially for those not used to getting the sea.

She said her advice to people going to the beach during hot weather would be:

• Go to an RNLI Lifeguarded beach
• Stay in between the red and yellow flags - for swimmers and bodyboarders
• Go between the black and white flags if on a hard-craft board
• Don't push yourself, don't go in too long, come out, warm up and then go back in

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