dangerous lifeguards ?

[wotayottie]

Trundling back from Swansea to Cardiff yesterday, we were just through the Nash passage when I saw what I thought was some floating rubbish in the water maybe 50 yards away. As we came nearer it turned out to be someone in a wet suit and helmet, lying flat on a body board and swimming against the tide. Naturally we went over to see if he needed rescuing but he indicated he didnt and we went on our way. He headed off south of the Scarweather!

Contacted Swansea CG since he was so low in the water he was difficult to spot and if a fast motor boat ....... or a relaxed skipper in a generally clear area not keeping a 100% watch .......... Turned out that he was a lifeguard, practising his bodyboarding skills, and normally covering up to ten miles at a time!

Mixture of emotions - envy at that level of fitness mixed with disbelief at doing something like that without an accompanying boat to warn off approaching vessels etc. I've already said it but he was really difficult to spot until very close up. Much less visible than a lobster pot for example.

What do you reckon?

And there's a PS - what they tell you about losing track of a man overboard very quickly is true as demonstrated by this lifeguard.

 

[Csail]

At least a danbuoy would help. If we hit him/her we would be the ones in trouble. Seen lots of articles about divers aswell... that little blue/white flag is not enough.In fact i think anything that is deployed on purpose should have to have a good identity ie.. divers, lobster pots etc.

 

[BrendanS]

If you were heading towards Cardiff through Nash, then probably out of Llantwit Major or St Donats Atlantic College. Llantwit Major is where I lived as a teenager, and those peeps, Surf life savers, male and female, used to compete at International level, so more than capable of taking care of themselves.

I used to swim with mates from Llantwit beach to St Donats, despite the tides, though canoes were a lot less taxing. Body board a few miles away would be no real challenge for most that were used to the area.

 

[wotayottie]

I suspect you are correct in guessing where he came from. But you are wrong in one respect - he's not going to be able to take care of himself if a fast fishing boat / powerboat comes on a collision course. The board was brightly coloured but he was in a wet suit that blended in with the sea and for all the world looked like some floating rubbish when first spotted some few yards off.

Wouldnt take much to attach some sort of dan buoy flag to the board.

 

[Sneds]

"A few yards off...." being the point I think.
I don't doubt guys the guy's swimming ability but I think he is being extremely foolish in exposing himself to the risk of being run down and extremely selfish to the poor sod that does run him down.

BTW Hi Brendan /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BrendanS]

Hi! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Lets face it, a person on a board is completely out of the water, and hence is quite a big target compared to pot buoys or those tiny sausage buoys that divers trail.

 

[Mike_S]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Lets face it, a person on a board is completely out of the water, and hence is quite a big target compared to pot buoys or those tiny sausage buoys that divers trail.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree with Brendan here, a bloke on a board is pretty big, certainly given the amount of detritus floating down the river of late I always keep an eye out.