RNLI Jersey marks 15 years as beach patrols return

The RNLI is marking 15 years of patrols on Jersey's shores as lifeguards are set to return to the beaches after the winter break.

It said its lifeguards had been doing final training and fitness checks ahead of their return on Thursday to Le Braye in St Ouen.

The charity said its lifeguards and lifeboats helped nearly 600 people in 2024, saving 10 lives, across the Channel Islands.

Lifeguard supervisor Tim Tredent said it was "wonderful" to have a service staffed by local people and described it as "the best job ever".

He said: "All of our lifeguards are actually from Jersey, they've been brought up on the beach and we know exactly what's going on, we know the conditions.

"We're in Jersey, it's lovely beaches, the air's clean, nice sunshine - everybody wants to be down the beach, so it's just great for us, great for all the lifeguards - it's wonderful."

Tredent said during the season there would be "rescues nearly on a daily basis" and his team worked to educate islanders on using the sea safely.

He said: "Just after the Easter holidays the lifeguards will go around the schools, do the school talks and educate the children on the best places, where to swim - in between the red and yellows [flags] is always the best place.

"It's where the lifeguards have decided to put the flags so they've identified it as the safest place for everyone to swim."

Tredent said it was important for lifeguards to educate islanders and also themselves.

He said: "It doesn't matter if you're first season lifeguard or seasoned... the lifeguards do a thorough induction, so it's two weeks and we do fitness tests, 4x4 training, jet-ski training - just so everybody's all working together as a team."

With eight years experience in the job, Tredent said main advice for anyone heading to the beach was to watch the tides.

"We've got one of the greatest tides in the world so we do get tidal cut-offs so it's teaching the children about if they're going down the beach, have a look at the tides," he said.

Senior lifeguard Claudia Cosgrove has been in the job for six years and said the island would be lost without the service.

"We have the whole summer where it's absolutely packed down every beach so I feel like if there wasn't to be a lifeguard service, lots would probably go wrong," she said.

Cosgrove said having grown up surfing in Jersey, she felt "very privileged to get to work on the beach every day".

She said: "I feel like you don't realise until you leave Jersey and then everyone says how nice the beaches are because we obviously get lots of people on holiday here in the summer.

"I've been surfing since I was about 10 years old so I've kind of always been at the beach, grown up with seeing all the lifeguards and I got inspired to join in."

Cosgrove shared some advice for youngsters who want to be lifeguards: "If you stay down the beach, get confident in the water - even just coming up to the lifeguards, chatting to us about it, show you're interested."

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