The use of rescue boards to rescue people from the surf and a wide range of aquatic environments has become widespread around the world. The rescue board provides a fast and reliable means of reaching victims and, if required, can support multiple victims in the water.
Approaching the victim
Paddle out towards the victim following the victim approach guidelines in this module and communicate reassurance as soon as possible. Approach the victim from the side with enough room to turn so that you arrive directly adjacent to the victim.
Where appropriate in relation to surf conditions, ensure the board is facing in the direction you want to paddle before you assist the victim onto the board.
Conscious victim
- Place the rescue board between you and the victim as you approach the victim. Remember to manage your balance on the board, as victims are likely to reach out and grab it.
- Provide reassurance to calm down a distressed victim who may also fear the rescue board, as they are unfamiliar with it. This can be done by exchanging names, reminding them to breathe normally, providing calm instructions:
- beyond the surf zone—take your time and calmly explain how you want to proceed
- within the surf zone—act quickly and explain to the victim how you want them to move onto and lie on the board.
- Straddle the craft in a seated position slightly towards the tail. Remember you need to ensure that you position yourself and the victim so the total weight is evenly distributed on the board.
- Ask the victim to reach across and take hold of the straps furthest away from them (on the other side of the board).
- Direct the victim to pull themselves onto the board and swing their legs onto the deck so that they face the nose of the board.
- Adjust your position by leaning forward to keep the board balanced while the victim is climbing on, and assist them if required by grasping their nearest leg and pulling them onto the board.
- Determine whether you can return to shore safely with the victim:
- safe—paddle to shore with the victim (see Paddling to shore with a victim on a board)
- unsafe—reassure the victim and signal ‘assistance required’ or move to a safer position to wait for further assistance.
Heavy, exhausted or unconscious victim beyond the break
- Determine if the victim is unresponsive as you approach them.
- Approach the victim from the side.
- Turn your board so that it is parallel to the shoreline with the victim on the seaward side.
- Take hold of the victim’s arm or hand.
- Turn sideways on your board and slide off into the water on the side opposite the victim. Maintain a tight grip on the victim.
- Position the victim so that they are facing you and the board. The victim should be closer to the front of the board.
- Hold the victim’s hand firmly against the rail of the board closest to you as you roll the board upside down and away from the victim—the victim’s arm is pulled across the underside of the board and their armpit should be firmly held against the victim’s side of the board.
- Position the victim so that their armpit closest to the nose of the board generally aligns with the ‘S’ of ‘Surf’ (of ‘Surf Rescue’) on the underside of the SLS rescue board.
- Reach over and grasp the board strap or rail on the victim’s side while keeping your grip on the victim’s arm or hand.
- Roll the board right side up so that the victim is lying across the deck (See note below for heavy victims).
- Pull yourself back onto the board while keeping hold of the victim.
- Position yourself towards the tail.
- Pull the victim’s legs onto the board.
- Trim the board by:
- lying in the prone paddling position behind the victim with your chest in contact with the victim’s body
- pulling the victim’s legs to adjust their position if they are too far forward.
- Determine whether you can return to shore safely with the victim:
- safe—signal ‘assistance required’ and paddle to shore with the heavy, exhausted or unconscious victim (see Paddling to shore with a victim on a board)
- unsafe—signal ‘assistance required’ or move to a safer position to wait for further assistance. Reassure the victim if they become conscious.
Note:
- If the victim is heavier than you can safely lift, signal for assistance to return the victim to shore as fast as possible.
- Remember to reassure and communicate the rescue process with any conscious victim.
- When rolling the board right side up with a heavy victim, take a kneeling position on the underside of the board and reach for the straps on the victim’s side with your free hand. This allows you to roll the board using your weight as well as your strength.
Board rescues in the break zone
- Determine if the victim is unresponsive as you cautiously approach the victim.
- Keep the board on the shoreward side of the victim as you approach them.
- Position the victim so that the nose of the board is lifted above the water when you are both aboard.
- Trim the board by lying in the prone paddling position behind the victim with your chest in contact with the victim’s body.
- Determine whether you can return to shore safely with the victim:
- safe—signal ‘assistance required’ and paddle to shore with the unconscious, exhausted or heavy victim (see Paddling to shore with a victim on a board).
- unsafe—signal for assistance or move to a safer position to wait for further assistance. Reassure the victim if they are conscious.
Note:
- If the victim is conscious, tell them to grip the straps and be prepared to move back.
- If you are going to be hit by a wave, place your arms under the victim’s armpits and grab the strapping. This will pin the victim to the board.
- Only experienced lifesavers should risk catching waves before they break.
- If you are unable to get the victim onto the board, position yourself and the victim on the seaward side of the board before hooking your arms underneath the victim’s arms and grabbing the straps. This is a useful technique when in a break zone and there is insufficient time to safely get the victim onto the board.
Paddling to shore with a victim on a board
Rescue boards have sufficient flotation to carry two adults—a lifesaver and a victim. However, the extra weight of a second person significantly changes how the board performs. Always practise paddling your board with a victim in calm water before attempting to paddle a victim in surf conditions.
When you have a victim on a rescue board:
- check that the victim is positioned correctly on the board to provide good board trim (see Positioning the victim)
- have both yourself and the victim lying in the prone paddling position
- lie behind the victim with your chest in contact with the victim’s body
- trim the board so that your combined weight is evenly distributed
- communicate what the victim can expect to experience when returning to shore, e.g., changing your position by pushing or pulling their legs to redistribute your weight and avoid nosedives
- communicate how the victim can assist you returning to shore safely
- try to stay in time with the victim’s paddling
- remember to signal ‘assistance required’ if required, e.g., an IRB to assist you, another lifesaver to assist you when there are strong waves in a ‘shore break’.
Positioning the victim
- A board will tend to nosedive in the break zone or white water if the victim positions themselves too far forward.
- After communicating to the victim the need to move towards the back of the board, you can assist them by pulling their legs to move them backwards.
- Your legs should be in the water acting as an anchor if the victim is too far to the rear of the board. In this case, you will need to ask them to move forward using the straps.
Note:
- Excess weight at the front of the board will make it unstable in the white water and increase the risk of nosediving.
- Too much weight at the back of the board will slow your forward momentum.
When returning to shore through a break zone:
- assess the surf conditions and safest timing to start paddling to shore
- wait for a lull in the wave pattern to paddle and remember there is no rush if the victim is conscious
- move yourself and the victim further back on the board
- catch a broken wave to quickly return to shore
- continue to assess the surf conditions ahead as you approach the shore
- provide instructions and ask the victim for details while paddling to both reassure the victim and ensure a safer return to shore
- instruct the victim to slide off towards the side of the board when in waist deep water and the surf conditions in the shore break will not injure them, or assistance arrives
- assist the victim out of the water appropriately, ensuring that the rescue board does not cause injury to yourself, the victim or others
- assess the victim’s condition once at the shoreline and treat as required (see Primary assessment – DRSABCD).
Note:
- If the victim is unable to stand, slide off the rescue board when the water is waist deep, ensuring one arm remains over the victim to stabilise them on the board. Then carry the victim from the water using a two-person carry when assistance arrives.
- You may use the rescue board as a carrying device to extract the victim from danger if an appropriate number of people are available to safely assist. (See Manual handling). Do not try this with soft-top rescue boards as they may become damaged if the victim is too heavy.
- Remember – only risk catching an unbroken wave if you have great experience. Catching unbroken waves increases the risk of both the victim and lifesaver falling off the board and a rogue board rolling through the waves. The consequences of these risks are further injury and harm to the victim, lifesaver and other beachgoers.
- Quickly grab the victim’s legs and pull them backwards on the board if required to avoid a nosedive when catching a wave.
- Stop and signal for assistance again if there are strong waves in the shore break. It may be safer to slide off one side of the board and hold your victim on the board until assistance arrives.