They call them lifeguards for a reason.
In a video recently shared on YouTube by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, lifeguard Joby Wolfenden-Brown rushes to save a boy who is heard screaming in the distance. After paddling out to the exhausted young swimmer, Wolfenden-Brown helps him onto his rescue board and paddles back to shore.
According to a statement issued by RNLI, a charitable organization that saves lives at sea in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the unnamed boy was dragged from the beach by a strong rip current around 4 p.m. Tuesday. Wolfenden-Brown and other lifeguards posted at Crooklets Beach were reportedly keeping an eye on the boy when they saw him being pulled out and heard his calls for help.
The 22-year-old lifeguard happened to have a GoPro camera mounted on his safety helmet as he jumped on a rescue board.
"It's hard to describe the feeling you get when you know you’ve made a real difference," Wolfenden-Brown said of the rescue and the attention it has received, according to Western Morning News, a U.K. news outlet. "It's amazing that the video has picked up so much attention, but I don’t think many people realize the work we do until they see a clip like this."
RNLI enlists hundreds of lifeguards to keep a close eye on beachgoers in the British Isles. While some are compensated by local governments or paid through charitable funds, many choose to volunteer their lifeguard services.
Related
Before You Go
