- Lifeguards to become familiar site on Jersey beaches during Easter holidays.
- First Easter school holiday service being hailed a success.
- Check out our archive pictures of lifeguards through the years.
LIFEGUARDS are to be a familiar site on Jersey’s beaches during the spring after the first Easter school holiday service was hailed a success.
It is the first year that RNLI lifeguards have patrolled the Le Braye area of St Ouen’s Bay at Easter since the charity took over from the States-run service four years ago.
Assistant Economic Development Minister Steve Pallett said: ‘The cover over the Easter school holidays was a success.
2013: 355 incidents
2012: 197 incidents (two lives saved)
2011: 207 incidents (two lives saved)
‘The weather was very good and drew a lot of people to the beach, so it was important that they were there.’
Mr Pallett said that following the successful trial this year, the team would be patrolling the beach during next year’s Easter break.
During the cover, lifeguards helped one surfer who had become stuck in a rip current and brought him back to shore.
Rob Stutely, RNLI lifeguard supervisor for Jersey, said: ‘This was the first time an RNLI lifeguard service has been provided over Easter and it was very well received by the public.
‘During the first week, the weather wasn’t great and the red flag was flown on a number of occasions.
‘But when the weather improved and the temperature rose, the beach was much busier.
‘During the second week we saw on average around 400 people visiting the beach daily and about 100 surfers in the water.’
Lifeguard cover has now ended for the Easter period but will start again on 2 May at Le Braye and at the Watersplash in St Ouen’s Bay.
Cover at Grève de Lecq, Plémont and St Brelade’s Bay will start on 16 May and end on 27 September.
For the first time, lifeguards will also provide cover during the half-term from 24 to 31 October at Le Braye.
The RNLI will also be visiting primary schools during the next few weeks to teach children how to stay safe at the seaside.
- The RNLI has been providing lifeguard cover on Jerseys beaches since 2011.
- RNLI lifeguards patrol over 200 beaches around the UK and Channel Islands.
- In 2014, they responded to 17,050 incidents with 19,353 people aided.
- To become a lifeguard, you must meet RNLI fitness standards, which include being able to complete a 200m pool swim in under 3.5 minutes, a 400m swim in under 7.5 minutes and a 200m beach run in under 40 seconds.
- According to the RNLI, ‘a good lifeguard rarely gets wet’ – 95% of a lifeguard’s work is preventative.
- In 2014, they responded to 17,050 incidents with 19,353 people aided.
- In 2010, former Economic Development Minister, Alan Maclean said that the RNLI were willing to provide cover for £80,000 less than the States of Jersey-run service.
- Many Islanders were outraged at the spending cuts and believed that it could jeopardise the standard of the lifeguards.
- A petition was started by Andrew Hosegood, owner of El Tico Beach Cantina and Nick Durbano, owner of Laneez Surf Centre, to prevent the switch to the RNLI.
