Beach Safety

Eastbourne has 14 full time lifeguards on duty between May 1 and September 30 to ensure that a dip in the sea between the Pier and the Wish Tower is always a safe one. All lifeguards are highly proficient in life support and First Aid and regularly practice other aspects of beach lifeguarding including boat handling, spinal management, rescue methods, weather meteorology and fitness training. All Lifeguards have also been trained through the South East England Tourist Board’s Welcome Host customer care scheme.

Here are the lifeguards' tips on Beach Safety:

• Don’t be over confident or show off – tides and rough seas can drown the strongest swimmer
• Don’t dive into unknown depths – rocks, breakwaters and underwater obstacles are dangerous
• Never ignore warning notices - follow the lifeguards’ advice and remember the Red Flag means that it is dangerous to swim
• Don’t swim when cold, tired or after consuming food or alcohol
• Take great care with inflatable toys, beds and boats – offshore winds, blowing from the shore out to sea, will carry inflatables out to see. Never chase inflatables out to sea and always tether inflatables and supervise children playing with them
• Be careful swimming at high tide – the shingle creates a sharply sloping bank and swimmers will be out of their depth just a few steps out.
• Never leave litter on the beach – broken glass and cans are unsightly and dangerous
• Be careful of the sun – even when cool and largely cloudy the sun can still cause sunburn and heat stroke. Wear sunglasses and remember SLIP, SLAP, SLOP: Slip on a T-Shirt, Slap on a hat and Slop on sun block - sun protection factor 10-15 for all skin types. Finally, stay in the shade when the sun is strongest – 11am – 3pm.

Dogs on the Beach

All open, public access areas in Eastbourne, with the exception of the Downland, are designated Poop Scoop Areas. Dog owners must clean up after their dogs or risk a fine of up to �1,000. Dog mess can be double bagged and deposited in the Red Bins provided.

The beach and seafront are subject to further dog restrictions between May 1 and September 30. During this period dogs must be held on leads throughout the seafront, from Holywell to Langney Point, and are banned from the beach altogether between the Pier and the Wish Tower.