RNLI lifeguard rescues two children in four minutes on Portrush West Strand

On Friday, August 16, at 5.28pm, while on patrol, Owen Montgomery spotted a boy who had been taken further out to sea by a fast body of moving water, which is more commonly known as a rip current.

Owen immediately took the RNLI rescue board and went out to the boy, who was struggling to keep his head above the water after losing his bodyboard.

Owen manoeuvred the child onto his rescue board and once back to shore, assessed his condition. The boy was shaken but thankfully did not need any further medical attention.

Moments later, Owen was alerted to a 12-year-old girl who was in difficulty in the same rip current and who had let go of her bodyboard. The girl’s mother raised the alarm.

Lifeguard Emma-Jane Service proceeded to take the first child out of Owen’s care while Owen rushed back into the waves to rescue the girl.

The girl’s mother who asked not to be named but wished to alert others to the danger of rips said: "I started to panic. The waves were so big and choppy and she seemed tiny out there.”

Owen brought the girl safely back to shore and carried out routine first aid checks and found the casualty hadn’t swallowed any water.

"I’m so grateful for Owen’s help,”said the girl's mother. “If it wasn’t for him, I think I could have been facing a very different situation. He didn’t think twice about helping someone in need - it was such a selfless thing to do, I couldn’t be more grateful.”

RNLI lifeguard Owen Montgomery who also surfs in his spare time said: ‘Rip currents can be hard to spot and you will struggle to swim against them. If you are ever caught in one, don’t try to swim against it or you’ll get exhausted. If you can stand, wade don’t swim. If you can, swim parallel to the shore until free of the rip and then head for shore. Always raise your hand and shout for help.'