Paddleboarders urged to take care amid increase in callouts

A warning has been issued after RNLI lifeguards have seen an increase in paddleboarders in distress across Scottish waters.

Paddleboarding is one of the fastest-growing water sports and saw a major increase in popularity during the COVID-19 lockdown.

However, as nice weather continues across Scotland, the RNLI said it has received an increase in calls from paddleboarders in distress.

The charity said advice is easy to find on their life-guarded beaches.

It comes after the death of Alexander McNab, who died while paddleboarding Lochore on June 28.

The 15-year-old’s family described him as an adventurous, bold, hard-working and ambitious boy.

Calum McNicol from Paddle Scotland is urging people to be safe and shared information on things paddleboarders should consider before heading out.

He told STV News it’s crucial for people to spend a “little bit of time on the beach”.

“Stop, look and listen. I make no apologies for reinventing the Green Coast code, but when you turn up at the place that you want to launch to spending a few minutes just looking down the boat, you’re assessing the situation before you go on,” he said.

Mr McNicol added that people should always have the correct equipment, including a wetsuit, personal flotation device, and phone, before hitting the water.

“There’s there’s two important takeaways from this. One is about wind direction and establishing what’s happening with the wind,” he added.

“And the second one is having a means of communication. I’ve got my mobile phone in a waterproof pouch. It costs a couple of quid or ten a penny, but is an integral part of safety kit.”

He said that people should take note of the winds before heading out on their boards, and never take to the water when there’s an offshore wind.

“If you feel the wind on your face, that’s what we call an onshore wind. And it’s cool in the gang. We can go with that,” he added.

“But if we feel the wind on our back or the back of our heads, that means the wind’s blowing offshore. And the golden rule for the paddleboarding is we just don’t take to the water when it’s an offshore wind.”