On Monday, August 12 RNLI Rye Harbour was paged by HM Coastguard to search for a missing ten-year-old child on Camber Sands beach. Stuart Clark was helm and Emma Stonham and Neil Jolly were crew.
Losing a child on a beach is an incredibly distressing experience for parents as well as for the child.
Emma, a crew member on the lifeboat today, is a parent and commented after the boat returned to station: “As a parent I am highly aware of the need facilitate a speedy launch and to get to Camber Sands as soon as possible when we are tasked to a shout for a missing child. For parents it triggers a sudden and intense sense of panic, fear, and helplessness. The vastness of the beach, the presence of water and the large crowds can heighten the anxiety, making it difficult to think clearly.
“They might feel overwhelmed with a deep sense of dread about the potential dangers their child could face, including getting lost, encountering strangers, or getting too close to the water. It is always such a relief when we have a positive outcome and the child / children is / are reunited with their anxious parents.”
Parents often question what they could have done differently to prevent the situation. As they search frantically, time seems to slow down, every second feeling like an eternity. The emotional turmoil can be paralysing, and even after the child is found, the fear and anxiety can linger, leaving parents shaken and extremely vigilant.
Camber Sands beach is almost five miles in length and the RNLI advises:
Parents, only let your children swim in between the flags denoting that there are lifeguards on duty.
If you’re planning to swim or bodyboard, stay between the red-and-yellow flags.
For surfboards, stand-up paddleboards or other non-powered craft, go between the black and white chequered flags. You should not swim there.
Check the safety signs and flags around the beach, be aware of any dangers.
Be aware of sea conditions, including currents and winds.
Stay within your swimming abilities.
Do not let your child swim alone – children are safest when supervised.
Whilst on the shout the boat was tasked again to search for a thirteen-year-old child.
Both children were found on the beach and reunited with their parents. The RNLI lifeguards at Camber are a vital part in finding missing children and reuniting them with parents. They are highly-trained and professional and work tirelessly in hot weather when the beaches are very busy.
Stuart professionally lead the shout as helm. His expertise with the search was based on many previous shouts, as operating so close to shore, with a very crowded beach and lots of people still in the water is tricky and his crew felt they were in safe hands.
RNLI Rye Harbour’s boat returned to station and was prepared for further shouts. The shore crew are a vital part of any shout. Paul Ramsey was tractor driver, Mark Stephenson head launcher and they were supported by, Brendan, Dave, Cody, Chris, Tammy, Izzy, Tim D, Rob and Charlie. Steve Griffiths was launching authority. A wonderful turnout from a committed team and although not on duty the lifeboat operations manager Paul Bolton came to show his support.
Rother Police posted this advice for parents
“Camber is a beautiful beach and boasts the only sandy beach for miles, drawing up to 30,000 visitors in a single day. Consequently, we deal with up to 30 missing children daily. We understand how distressing this situation can be for any parent or guardian, but fortunately, these children are typically found in under 10 minutes by ourselves with the help of RNLI, beach patrol and other families on the beach.
“To ensure the safety of your children and facilitate a swift reunion, we suggest writing your mobile number on a wearable item, such as a wristband. This will allow us or a member of the public to contact you immediately once found.”
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
Although my children are now grown up, with kids of their own, I can still remember that feeling of panic if we couldn’t spot them immediately on the beach. As adults, we agreed to take it in turns to be with the children in the sea and play with them on the beach. The other adult/s would sunbathe, read, snooze during this time until it was time for their ‘watch’! It really isn’t worth the risk to take our eyes off them for seconds, even if doing something like searching for suncream in the bag, etc.
Sound advice. Camber beach has been exceptionally busy lately and these incidents do occur, thankfully just a couple, including using this one. I’d like to recognise all the team at Camber for their diligence. The wristbands for children are provided for their safety and I would urge all parents to use them.