Two children who had ditched their rubber rings and were trying to swim for shore after being caught in a rip current were rescued by an RNLI lifeguard.

Lifeguard Jonathan Morris was conducting a safety patrol on the water’s edge on a busy Tenby Castle Beach on Tuesday when he spotted the two boys about 60-70m out.

The boys, who were aged 10 and 12, were not strong swimmers and were struggling to return to shore against the rip current.

Jonathan immediately paddled out to the pair on a rescue board. One was struggling more than the other, so he pulled him on to the front of the board and told the second boy to hold on to the back of the board.

Both were brought back into shore safely, given advice on rip currents and reunited with their guardian on the beach.

RNLI lifeguard supervisor Celyn Owens said: “This incident shows how dangerously unpredictable the sea can be. One minute the boys were comfortable and in their depth, then all of a sudden they were pulled out quickly in the rip current.

“Rips are strong currents of water running out to sea that can quickly drag you out beyond your depth. If you get caught in a rip, don’t panic, don’t try to swim against it or you’ll get exhausted. If you can stand, wade, don’t swim. If you can, swim parallel to the shore until free of the rip and then head for shore, raise your hand and shout for help.

“Because these two boys were swimming at a lifeguarded beach they were able to get the help they needed promptly and we advise people to always swim at lifeguarded beaches.

“It is also important to remember RNLI lifeguards are thoroughly trained to deal with incidents such as this and we urge anyone who sees someone in difficulty in the water to call for help and not enter the water themselves to try to help.”

The RNLI is also currently running its annual Respect the Water campaign aimed at promoting coastal safety messages and reducing coastal drownings. It includes information and advice about rip currents. For more safety information visit http://rnli.org/safety/respect-the-water/Pages/respect-the-water.aspx.