The RNLI has been on duty in St Ouen’s Bay since 2 April – initially on a part-time basis – but extended its coverage to St Brelade’s Bay, Plémont and Grève de Lecq on Friday.
Jake Elms, RNLI lifeguard lead supervisor, said that temperatures in the 20s and good surf had kept his staff busy.
‘The surf meant that the rip currents at St Ouen’s Bay were particularly strong and the lifeguards spent large chunks of the day in the water keeping water users between the flags and effectively preventing any major rescues needing to happen,’ he said.
‘They did use the rescue water craft [jet ski] to tow a few surfers out of the strong rip currents and, on Monday morning, rescued a swimmer caught in the strong current at the Watersplash. The other beaches were busy with people enjoying the sunshine and thankfully everyone was kept safe and had a memorable visit to the coast for the right reasons.
‘The warm weather looks set to continue and we would keep encouraging people to head to a lifeguarded beach where our teams can ensure their safety and swim between the flags – which is the area marked out as the safest for swimming.’
He added: ‘If you have any concerns, please do speak to one of the lifeguards. We are always happy to help.’
Over the same long weekend the RNLI’s lifeboats were called out twice. The first call-out came in at 5pm on Saturday after a vessel reported mechanical issues near Corbière.
The charity’s St Helier inshore lifeboat was deployed and the broken down boat was towed back to town.
At 5.20pm on Monday the St Catherine crew were called out to just east of Mont Orgueil after another boat broke down. The area’s inshore vessel towed it back to its mooring.
The charity is urging boat owners to ensure they have completed all of their pre-season maintenance and safety checks before heading out for the first time this season. These can be found by searching for ‘Jersey Coastguard pre-season check-list’.
Meanwhile, lifeguards employed by the government have gone back on duty at the Havre des Pas Bathing Pool. Patrols begin at 10am and last until 6pm.
