The red and yellow flags came down at Aberavon Beach on Sunday, as the RNLI lifeguard season ended with a heartfelt thank-you from the town’s lifeboat station.
Port Talbot Lifeboat Station said it had been “an extremely busy season”, with the lifeguards showing dedication, professionalism and commitment in keeping visitors safe.
Their summer took in far more than sitting watching the waves: the station says the team responded to serious incidents, helped find missing children and went to the aid of paddleboarders in difficulty.
“Lifeguarding is far more than simply watching the beach,” the station said, describing highly trained individuals “constantly watching, assessing situations and making decisions that can ultimately save lives”.
The lifeguards worked hand in hand with the Port Talbot lifeboat crew, the Coastguard and police through the season, a partnership the station credits with making the beach safer for everyone.
The end of the season is a scattering. Some of the team are heading abroad to lifeguard in countries where their skills are needed.
Others are going back to university for the new term.
“Thank you for the early starts, the long days, the difficult incidents, the training, the professionalism and, most importantly, for looking after the people who come to enjoy Aberavon Beach,” the station told them.
To those leaving, it wished safe travels and good luck; to those returning, it promised to see them back on the sand in 2027.
Aberavon’s long sands are patrolled seasonally, with the lifeguard station sitting on the promenade in front of the lifeboat station.
It is a beach that can bite. Last summer a child was pulled from a rip current on its smaller side in what was the coastguard’s third call-out of a single day.
Nationally, the RNLI says its lifeguards have saved more than 2,000 lives since the service began in 2001, with this year’s heatwaves making it one of the busiest summers on record.
It has also been a season of new kit: Trecco Bay in Porthcawl this year hosts one of the new lifeguard huts a 21-year-old Welsh lifeguard helped design.
With the patrols now ended, the standing advice for autumn swimmers remains: check tide times before going in, call 999 and ask for the coastguard in an emergency, and anyone caught in a rip current should float on their back, stay calm and signal for help.
The flags go back up in 2027.
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