Beach safety in South Devon

With the ‘endless summer of 2018’ holding a hot grip over the country, South Devon is basking in wall to wall sunshine and enjoying warm waters. Needless to say, the region’s beaches are a hive of activity, with people eager to cool down in the sea, indulge in local ice cream and enjoy fresh seafood at one of the many beachside eateries.

South Devon boasts a 90 mile stretch of coastline that is peppered with sandy beaches, secret coves and fishing villages, so it comes as no surprise to us that sea swimming, bodyboarding and general beach fun are highly popular activities, at the top of most’s summer agenda. To help you relax, and really maximise your time on the beach, we’ve collated our top beach safety tips.

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Beach safety tips – Beach flags

When you arrive at the beach, aside from admiring the shimmering vista, one of the first things you might notice (if lifeguards are on patrol) are coloured flags. If you find yourself on a beach that isn’t lifeguarded, take extra care regarding where you choose to swim. Regardless, it’s worth spending a little time learning your flags:

• Red and yellow flags indicate that the area is lifeguarded, and therefore this is the safest part of the beach to swim, bodyboard and use inflatables.
• Black and white chequered flags marks areas that are not for swimming, or bodyboarding. These areas are designated to surfing, stand up paddle boarding and kayaking, and are also launch and recovery spots for kitesurfers and windsurfers.
• The red flag signifies danger. Do not enter the water under any circumstances when a red flag is flying.

Lifeguarded beaches in South Devon

Where and when possible, swim at a beach with lifeguard supervision. This way, you will always have a pair of safe eyes watching over you, and if you do get into danger you’ll have immediate help on hand. South Devon boasts a number of lifeguarded beaches during the peak summer season, including:

• Hope Cove
• Thurlestone (South Milton Sands)
• Bantham
• Bigbury-on-Sea (Sedgewell Cove)
• Challaborough
• Blackpool Sands
• Slapton Sands

If you aren’t familiar with the beaches of South Devon, or are looking for a little more inspiration, read our comprehensive South Devon beach bible.

Calling for help

If you do find yourself in difficulty, the temptation will most likely be to try and swim to safety. However, the best advice is to try and float, or stay with your kit (bodyboard or surfboard) as it will keep you afloat, and make you easier to find in an emergency. If you’re close to shore, a simple whistle may be a sufficient call for help, but if this fails, the international distress signal of hand waving and shouting is widely recognised.

Know what to do if you or your family get into trouble

It goes without saying that children are safest on the beach when supervised. However, this doesn’t always avoid mishap, and in our opinion, it’s best to be fully prepared. Here are our top four tips on family beach safety:

1. As soon as you arrive at the beach, agree a meeting point in case of separation. Some beaches also run a safety scheme for children, and most RNLI beaches will give you special wristbands to put contact details on, so be sure to use these if available.
2. If your child does go missing, calmly check surroundings, contact the lifeguards or police and keep them informed, and let all searchers know once the child is found.
3. Furthermore, when swimming in the sea, know your abilities, and align these with the conditions.
4. Stay safe in the sun and apply plenty of sunscreen. Sunglasses, sun hat etc, seek shade.

Inflatables

Whilst inflatable flamingos, giant rubber rings and floats of all shapes and sizes are designed for swimming pools, many can’t resist the temptation to take these in the sea. If you do decide to make a splash accompanied by a float, ensure that children (and adults alike) are closely supervised. Stay near the shore, only venture between the red and yellow flags, and don’t ride big waves!

Rip currents

Unfortunately, rip currents are one of the major causes of accidental drowning across UK beaches. They can be extremely strong, and can quickly take you from the shallows out of your depth, so it’s worth knowing how to spot and avoid a rip current…

Difficult to spot, riptides are sometimes identified by a channel of choppy water on the sea’s surface. If you aren’t sure, ask the lifeguards for advice, and they will happily point out any rip currents that may be present. As always, aim to swim between the red and yellow flags, as these have been marked based on where is safer to swim in the current conditions. If you do find yourself caught in a rip follow these key rules:

• Don’t try to swim against it. You will quickly become exhausted, and they can be extremely strong!
• If you can, try to swim parallel to the shore until free of the rip and then head for shore
• Raise your hand and shout for help

This whistle stop guide only covers the main aspects of trying to stay safe whilst on the beach, but the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) website delves into a much deeper guide on beach safety, so be sure to read up on their advice too.

South Devon is the ultimate playground for beach lovers, so if you haven’t done so already, book your beach holiday today!

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