Telephone: 01502 523515

The Beach Lifeguard service operates from 10.00 am until 6.00 pm from the last weekend in May until the first Sunday in September. The beaches at Lowestoft and Southwold are covered by this service. It was the first service in Europe to achieve a Charter Mark award, which we hope to renew soon, and is also the first service to operate at ‘Declared Facility’ status - a very close operational link to the Maritime Coastal Agency (MCA).

We are also proud to be able to offer tourist information and a high quality of First Aid and, if necessary, resucitation and defibrillation. Each lifeguard has training in local hazards, specialised rescue equipment and customer care. He or she will perform two separate two-mile foot patrols on the water’s edge per day. This means that the Lowestoft beaches will benefit from eight patrols per day in total, and the Southwold beach will receive four patrols.

Before the summer season the Beach Services Manager will visit schools to give beach safety talks. During these talks the children are encouraged to approach the Lifeguards with their parents to increase the amount of lifeguard/public interaction.

It should be mentioned that the Lowestoft Volunteer Lifeguard Corps also train from early May through to mid October and also contribute approx 1200 hours of volunteer duties in support of the WDC Beach Lifeguard Service. We have had a good relationship with them since 1952.