Rescuers have been hailed for saving a boy floating face down after having a seizure in the sea whilst bodyboarding.

The boy’s grandfather alerted the RNLI lifeguards to his grandson who was in significant difficulty in the water at Lyme Regis on Sunday. This was at the same time RNLI lifeguard Simon Davis recognised the severity of the situation and ran into the water immediately managing the casualty’s airway and requesting prompt assistance from the beach lifeguard unit.

He was initially unresponsive, but breathing, however, due to him being face down in the water, it is possible he would have swallowed a lot of water. Simon, along with members of the public, recovered the boy from the water.

RNLI senior lifeguard, Ben Greenslade, ran down to the shoreline with the crash bag and Simon immediately administered oxygen and put the casualty in the recovery position to help maintain his airway. At the same time, Lyme Regis lifeboat chairman volunteer, Mark Houghton, phoned for an ambulance and took the spinal board to their location.

Ben was communicating with Solent Coastguard as well as managing the busy beach, taking down the red and yellow flags. He made a public announcement that they were temporarily closing the beach and encouraged everybody to leave the water. Whilst Simon was treating the casualty, Mark also assisted the lifeguards and helped clear the beach for the air ambulance to land.

Both the air and land ambulance arrived at the scene and the local council beach attendant and deputy harbour master kept the beach clear. The boy was then transported on the spinal board to the land ambulance and taken to hospital. The boy was now stable and transferred to the care of the critical care air ambulance doctor.

Lifeguard supervisor Dominik Fajkiel said: “Rescues of this nature highlight the importance of swimming at a lifeguarded beach and keeping an eye on your family. If it wasn’t for the lifeguard’s quick reaction on Sunday, the outcome would have been totally different.

“It doesn’t take a lot of water to get into your lungs before it becomes critical. Luckily, we had help from the nearby Lyme Regis lifeboat chairman, Mark, who is kindly helping our lifeguards at weekends, along with members of the public.

“All of the tasks involved during this rescue are vital - including providing casualty care, moving the casualty, requesting other emergency services, and clearing the beach for the air ambulance to land safely. Alongside making sure the rest of the beach is not neglected, this is not an easy task on a busy summer’s day. We are extremely proud of all involved, including the people who volunteered their time to help.”