AN RNLI volunteer crew member rescued an adult and two children from a dangerous rip current after spotting them being swept out to sea while surfing off Seacliff Beach.
Stefan Dillon, a 15-year volunteer with North Berwick RNLI, was enjoying the surf on Monday when he spotted "a couple of heads" struggling in a rip current near the harbour end of the beach.
As well as volunteering with the RNLI, Stefan is a member of North Berwick Surf Life Saving Club and holds several lifesaving qualifications through Surf Life Saving Great Britain.
As he realised the children were in difficulty, he paddled out immediately to help.
Stefan said: "By the time I got to the two boys, they were about 100 metres off the beach and right next to some dangerous rocks. If a big set had come through, we’d have been washed against the rocks.
"I got the boys to hang onto my board whilst I tried to get the attention of others on the beach.
"The dad, seeing his kids in trouble, ran into the water but wasn’t a strong swimmer so was soon in trouble too.
"Thankfully the rip current delivered him to me, but I was struggling to manage the three of them on my surfboard."
As Stefan tried to keep the family calm while working out how to get them safely back to shore, another surfer paddled over to help and together they brought all three back to the beach.
The children were taken ashore one at a time by the other surfer, while Stefan safely returned their father to dry land.
He added: "I don’t think the boys were even swimming, just paddling, when a big wave knocked them of their feet and into the water.
"There was a point in the rescue where I thought we were all going to get slammed against the rocks and I was really hoping the lifeboat was on its way.
"Thankfully everyone was okay, but it could easily have been very different."
The RNLI have now urged people to take "extra care" in the water, especially as East Lothian does not have any lifeguard-covered beaches.
Stefan said: "The family were shocked and didn’t know anything about rip currents. The RNLI’s float to live campaign exists for situations like this.
"When you get caught in a rip your first instinct is to swim against it, which very quickly exhausts you and leads to panic.
"Instead of fighting it, you should try to stay calm by floating on your back with your ears submerged.
"Once you’ve identified which way the current is pulling you, you should swim sideways out of the current, where you’ll most likely be washed ashore."
In a coastal emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
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