As the school holidays approach, the RNLI is urging people to remember the lifesaving technique if they get into trouble in the water. Lifeguards were on hand on Tuesday to demonstrate the ‘float to live’ technique at Tenby Harbour to mark the launch of the campaign.

It is estimated that 48.97M people will be heading to the coast or open water at least once over the summer.

RNLI lifeguards will return to selected Welsh beaches this weekend in preparation for the May half term.

Chris Cousens, Regional Water Safety Lead said: “We know that there will be a huge amount of people visiting the Welsh coast over the coming months and we want everyone to remember our Float to Live advice. Instinctively, most people who find themselves struggling in the water will begin to panic, swim, or thrash about.

“We’re urging people to ignore this instinct and remember to float: Tilt your head back, with your ears submerged. Relax and try to breathe normally.

“Move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat if you need to. It’s fine if your legs sink – we all float differently. By doing this, you give yourself the chance to rest and recover your breathing. Once you’ve regained control of your breathing, you can call for help or swim to safety.”

For the last 25 years, RNLI lifeguards have been making beaches safer across the UK. They share safety advice, provide first aid to those who need it and save the lives of those who get in trouble in the water.

During that time, they have made more than 48 million preventative actions, attended more than 330,000 incidents and aided more than 440,000 people on beaches around the UK and the Channel Islands. Last year in Wales, RNLI beach lifeguards saved 28 lives and aided a further 5,507 people.

Over May half term, the following beaches in Wales have RNLI lifeguards patrolling from 10am- 6pm: • Pembrokeshire: Whitesands beach, Newgale Central and Tenby South beach. • Swansea: Langland, Caswell, Aberavon, Pembrey, Three Cliffs and Port Eynon. • Bridgend: Barry Island, Coney/Sandy Bay, Trecco Bay, Rest Bay.Cardigan: Llangrannog and Borth.

• Denbighshire: Prestatyn and Rhyl.

After May half term, Three Cliffs, Port Eynon, Pembrey, Prestatyn, Rhyl and Newgale Central will be open on weekends only 10am-6pm. Whitesands, Tenby South, Langland, Caswell, Aberavon, Barry Island, Coney/Sandy Bay, Trecco Bay, Llangrannog and Borth will be lifeguarded full time 7 days a week, 10am-6pm for the remainder of the 2026 season.

The charity’s advice for anyone struggling in the water is ‘Float to Live’:

If you see someone else struggling in water:

For more information visit Float To Live – What To Do In An Emergency – RNLI