Rip current teenagers rescued by St Agnes RNLI

RNLI manager Steve Instance, used a rescue board to paddle out to the swimmers and wait with them until the St Agnes inshore lifeboat rescued them

Two teenagers were rescued after being pulled out to sea by a rip current.

The daughter of an off-duty RNLI manager, saw the boys being overwhelmed by large waves at Trevaunance Cove in Cornwall on Saturday afternoon.

Her father, who is also a qualified lifeguard, raised the alarm before paddling out to wait with the teens for the St Agnes inshore lifeboat.

The boys, who are local to the area, were exhausted but uninjured.

'Cracking job'

Steve Instance said he was "very proud" of his daughter, who is a junior member of the St Agnes Surf Lifesaving Club.

"I was busy making a cup of tea and she immediately recognised there was a problem," the RNLI manager said.

"Her training at the club just clicked in and she gave me the exact information I needed and pointed out where the boys were.

"She did a cracking job, she did the right thing at the right time - I'm very proud of her."

Rip currents are a major cause of accidental drowning and are responsible for the majority of RNLI lifeguard rescues in the UK.

The strong currents, which run out to sea, can quickly drag people and debris away from the shallows of the shoreline and out to deeper water.

They are especially powerful in large surf and can reach a flow of 4-5mph.

Rip currents can also happen around river mouths, estuaries and man-made structures like piers.