‘Respect the water’: RNLI lifeguard training in Cornwall

Ahead of a busy summer of domestic tourism in the UK, qualified lifeguards and trainees rehearse life-saving procedures

From a distance the ocean looks calm – safe, even – but a sticker peeling from a window in St Agnes lifeguard station offers a cautionary warning to all visitors: Respect the Water, it says.

The summer ahead promises to be busier than ever in Cornwall, with a boom in domestic tourism fuelled by global coronavirus restrictions. This beautiful but unforgiving stretch of coastline will see its fair share of rescues.

The RNLI is training new lifeguards in preparation. Today, a group of five are learning first aid skills and rehearsing water rescue techniques using tubes and rescue boards – they must wear PPE for close proximity drills, even in the water. The trainees range in age from 16 to 33 and include competitive swimmers, a gas engineer, a marine biologist and a former champion surfer.