ICYMI: Warning after sea rescue at Nairn Harbour
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A “tombstoning” warning has been given after a schoolboy was dramatically rescued from the sea at Nairn Harbour.
The incident was fortunately witnessed by local man Matt-James Mcallahan and his friend Lewis Stevenson, both qualified lifeguards.
Mr Stevenson, from Bournemouth, entered the water to assist the struggling lad who was “going under” at the mouth of the harbour last Tuesday.
Mr Mcallahan (25) said: “It was a nice warm day and we saw a group of teenagers at the end of the pier running and jumping off. We could see the group laughing and pointing into the water and saw a boy about 11 years old caught out in the tide who was going under pretty quickly.
“We grabbed the life ring off the wall but could see that the boy was still struggling, battling against the current, so my mate decided to risk his own life and jump in.
“I must stress this is not the best option and I would recommend getting the coastguard at first instance.”
Mr Mcallahan said they managed to manoeuvre the boy onto the life ring and pull him close to the ladder which enabled them to get him up safely onto the pier.
He added: “Although stressed, the boy was quick enough to run away maybe in fear of getting into trouble. I could not stress enough that if you see this sort of thing happen phone 999 and ask for the coastguard.”
Mr Mcallahan said he and other local people are keen to start a Nairn Beach First Responders group to patrol the sands during the busy summer months.
He added: “A Facebook poll resulted in a majority vote for having lifeguards on the beach as a support network for the coastguards.
“We are still a big bit off getting the plan in place as we still need the funding to make this happen. We are also looking at working with other local partnerships such as the RNLI to help us achieve our aim and hope to have the project launched this summer.
“A lot depends on help with funding to get the essential equipment. If anyone can help please drop me an email or contact the Facebook page Nairn Beach First Responders.”
The volunteer group will rely on fundraising and sponsorship to be able to carry out their role.
Mr Mcallahan said: “Although it may look OK, tides change dramatically in an instance affecting how deep water actually looks as well as obscuring rocks and other objects hidden in the water that can cause serious injuries.”
