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Scotsnet

Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

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Original poster

So few lifeguards in Scotland

51 replies

Endpress · 16/08/2021 08:44

There are so few lifeguarded beaches in Scotland. Especially on the west coast. There’s none? Such a shame. They can be such good healthy role models for kids and really encourage people to use the water safely.

I am loving seeing people enjoying Scotland waterways just with the help of a wetsuit. It can provide such an adrenaline rush for kids.

That said, was so happy to see one in Loch Lomond the other day. He was on it and it was so reassuring. I believe this is a new thing for this season.

OP posts:

TheLovleyChebbyMcGee · 16/08/2021 08:53

Haven't several people died in Loch lomond recently? There life guards at our local, East Coast beach. It is reassuring!

Endpress · 16/08/2021 09:03

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80sPadme · 16/08/2021 09:44

@TheLovleyChebbyMcGee

Haven't several people died in Loch lomond recently? There life guards at our local, East Coast beach. It is reassuring!

Yes paddle boarding without buoyancy aids and having wetsuits that are too thin. It's wreckless but tragic sadly. I live near here and we always wear 5 mm wetsuits and buoyancy aids when kayaking and boarding.

Original poster

Endpress · 16/08/2021 10:18

Yeah. It did look like the bulk of his work was deterring people without buoyancy aids and boats from coming too close to the paddlers/ swimmers. Some boaters and swimmers didn’t like being told but it’s all education isn’t it.

OP posts:

ThatIsQuiteACrane · 16/08/2021 10:22

The beaches nearest us (Fife coast) are lifeguarded. I think St Andrews, Leven, Aberdour and Burntisland all have lifeguards. Elie as well maybe? I can't quite remember.

I thought it would be the same all over Scotland. Loch Lomond is so busy and has had so many recent deaths - hopefully something is done to make it safer.

Froppysue · 16/08/2021 10:26

@ThatIsQuiteACrane

The beaches nearest us (Fife coast) are lifeguarded. I think St Andrews, Leven, Aberdour and Burntisland all have lifeguards. Elie as well maybe? I can't quite remember.

I thought it would be the same all over Scotland. Loch Lomond is so busy and has had so many recent deaths - hopefully something is done to make it safer.

I’ve honestly never seen a lifeguard on any Fife beach… very regularly go to Burntisland and aberdour too.

ApolloandDaphne · 16/08/2021 10:31

There are definitely lifeguards at St Andrews.

haggisaggis · 16/08/2021 10:32

Definitely life guards on St Andrews, Elie (harbour beach) and Silver Sands at Aberdour as seen them recently. When we used to holiday in East Coast US the beaches were all life guarded by young people, employed by the town for the summer. Every beach had at least 2.

ThatIsQuiteACrane · 16/08/2021 10:34

I was at Burntisland last week and they were there.

Froppysue · 16/08/2021 10:37

This is bonkers lol.. I’m wondering if I could have just not noticed them?!
I’ll ask dd as she’s there almost weekly with her friends, dh says he’s never seen them either - maybe it’s only specific times?

BridgetJonesPanties · 16/08/2021 10:44

because most people don't go into the sea or the lochs in Scotland because a, its bloody freezing b, its filthy c, its dangerous

So little need for a lifeguard. They'd be getting paid to do very little.

Its only gotten worse cause of Covid, normally people would go to Spain etc.

randomsabreuse · 16/08/2021 10:47

I think there aren't many west coast beaches with bathing quality water...

loopylu26 · 16/08/2021 10:53

I live on the West Coast of Scotland, we have the beautiful beaches which are fantastic for swimming, albeit COLD! The beach near my house is over 3 miles long and extremely quiet compared to most beaches in the UK even on a beautiful hot day, we'd need too many lifeguards to cover the beach unfortunately

Chemenger · 16/08/2021 10:55

Elie has lifeguards, on the beach beside the sailing club.

ThatIsQuiteACrane · 16/08/2021 10:59

froppy they are quite hard to miss! They have flags, red and yellow outfits and all sorts!

helpfulperson · 16/08/2021 11:02

We need water safety education and people not thinking they need best , not lifeguards. You can't guard a whole coast and all inland water.

Becca19962014 · 16/08/2021 11:04

The guy on Loch Lomond has been there awhile I believe, I follow his company on FB - there was a YouTube family there a few weeks ago refusing to wear any aids and were abusive towards him and set their "fans" to go abuse him after posting a video accusing him of being abusive (he wasn't) I follow him on Facebook and he has had death threats and all sorts because of it, even threat of legal action. The other night he was talking about giving up because of having even more abuse. Yes even after those deaths he still gets abuse.

I know where I live (west coast wales) it took several deaths, and an inability to reach every call for year after year before lifeguards were put in place, ours are via RNLI, the whole beach isn't covered, just parts of it where people are told to swim between flags.

TheGenealogist · 16/08/2021 11:04

To be fair, swimming off the Scottish coast is something you can do very rarely. It's not often we get hot enough weather, and most people you see swimming are the hardy open water people who are out there all weathers, never swim alone and absolutely know what they're doing.

We have hundreds of beaches in Scotland compared with other parts of the UK, you just can't compare with places like Devon and Cornwall.

Lifeguards are not the answer - especially at somewhere like Loch Lomond which covers a massive surface area and is accessible at all points. People drown in Loch Lomond (and reservoirs, quarries) because they do not appreciate the danger in going into a large body of very deep, very cold water when they either can't swim at all, or have minimal swimming skills.

And I'm not buying the line that it's up to the teachers (again) to parent kids and make sure that they know that water is dangerous. That's the parents' job. If you haven't had the conversation with your kids about how dangerous it is, especially when drownings over the summer were so widely reported, why not? Maybe we need the "Charlie Says" adverts again to scare the shit out of kids.

TheGenealogist · 16/08/2021 11:06

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Elieza · 16/08/2021 11:09

The money the council would spend on lifeguards would be better spent on water education. Swimming lessons and stay away from deep water like reservoirs and quarry pits as they are suddenly very deep, shockingly cold, and shock can kill.

You can’t police every body of water in the country. There are too many. All you can do is try and make young people understand the dangers. In the hope it will deter them.

Becca19962014 · 16/08/2021 11:09

When I was at school we had "educational" videos that basically terrified EVERYONE. Water safety was included. The most memorable one for me (our school land was split by a railway line - yes really!) was the rail one, couple of kids playing on the line, screeching brakes, screams, and decapitated toys all over the line and it ended with their funerals; there was also one about pylons, chip pans and others. Didn't really see anything but, yeh decades later I still remember them.

By secondary school they were banned for being too traumatic, but the fact is they did the job, and there was no such thing as wild swimming then.

TheGenealogist · 16/08/2021 11:12

When I was at school we had swimming lessons. Abbeyhill Primary had a pool, Sciennes Primary had a pool, Portobello High had a pool.... Swimming was a regular part of the curriculum in primary and secondary.

But swimming is not part of the curriculum in Scotland and if you want your kids to swim it costs money to achieve that. Also in some communities and ethnic groups learning to swim is just not a "thing". New schools are being built with out pools, so you're choices are getting a place on a council learn to swim scheme (places like hen's teeth round here), teaching them yourself (difficult if you have no idea what you're doing) or signing up for expensive private swim lessons.

Sootess · 16/08/2021 11:25

Agree we need to start the educational videos/ adverts again on the dangers of these lochs, reservoirs etc.

I don't live anywhere near Loch Lomond but I know it's very deep, unsafe for paddling as has shelves, very cold and very dangerous. Loch Ness is similarly dangerous. I grew up with this information but the younger generation don't seem to know this.
Loch Lomond seems to have a disproportionately high number of tragedies every summer.

Froppysue · 16/08/2021 11:26

@ThatIsQuiteACrane

froppy they are quite hard to miss! They have flags, red and yellow outfits and all sorts!

I just asked dd if she’s seen them at either aberdour or burntisland and she says she has! I asked her which one and she replied that she didn’t know their names… I meant which beach 🙈😂 Aberdour.. she’s seen them at aberdour haha

Mrsjayy · 16/08/2021 11:26

Do they not do swimming in primary anymore? i mean in ordinary times. My kids got swimming in primary and their high school had a pool.

Anyway back to the point I saw Ayr Beach had a life guard. Loch lomond is vast and I think there is life guards in Balloch at the shores but the rest shouldn't need life guarded . One of my dc works rurally and they see people canoing without life jackets jumping off rocks etc etc some people are careless around water.

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