Two men were rescued from strong rip currents after struggling to get back to shore.
The men were brought to safety by a lifeguard after falling into difficulty while in the sea at Sandhaven (Mowbray) beach in South Shields, South Tyneside.
They were rescued by Matt Johnson while outside of the red and yellow flags, which the public are urged to swim between, at around 1.50pm on Wednesday afternoon.
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The Sandhaven RNLI lifeguard monitored the men while he was out on the water doing some training.
He jumped into action when one of them signalled to him for help. Matt said: "The first man was out of breath, tired, and couldn’t make it back to the beach."
The man held onto Matt's rescue board and was aided back to shore. While helping the casualty back to the beach, he noticed a second man. He had been swimming near to where the first man was.
He also appeared to be struggling to stay afloat in the strong rip. The lifeguard quickly paddled out a second time to retrieve the man and safely brought him to an area of water where he could stand.
The two men received welfare checks at the lifeguard unit and were advised to seek medical assistance if they showed any signs of injury.
They were offered safety advice on potential harm they could have encountered and information on secondary drowning.
Matt said: "The two men were both approximately 500m offshore and were swimming in high waves in the black and white chequered beach flag zone. This area is designated to water sports such as surfing and stand-up paddleboarding."
Members of the public are urged to always visit a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags. Anyone in a coastal emergency can call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. If they are inland, they can ask for the fire and rescue service.
Matt added: "If you get into trouble in the water, remember to Float to Live: tilt your head back with ears submerged and try to relax and control your breathing. Use your hands to help you stay afloat.
"Once stable, swim to safety if you can or call for help just like the two men caught in the rip current did."
RNLI lifeguards are currently operating on the following Tyne and Wear beaches between 10am and 6pm, seven days a week:
Whitley Bay
Whitley bay North
Cullercoats
Tynemouth Longsands
Kind Edward’s Bay
Sandhaven (Centre Beach)
Sandhaven (Mowbray)
Seaburn
Cats and Dogs
Roker
