RNLI lifeguard rescues puppy in distress in sea off East Sussex beach

Jens Peter-Jensen spotted the dog splashing in the shallow water 400 metres west of the central lifeguard hut at around 11am on Sunday (April 7).

Upon closer inspection, he found the puppy had wandered out of its depth and was in distress.

The RNLI lifeguard leapt into action, calmly reassuring the couple who had been walking the dog, before entering the water to assist the puppy and return him to the relieved couple.

The incident happened at Camber Sands, near Rye.

An RNLI spokesperson said: “Camber Sands is prone to gullies of water that are not always easily spotted until you suddenly find yourself in deeper water. The dog walkers did the correct thing by not following their dog into the water and by allowing the qualified lifeguard to rescue the puppy and return in safely to shore.”

The RNLI said Jens is one of the RNLI senior lifeguards at Camber Sands. He has been studying his paramedic degree over the winter, and Sunday was his first day back lifeguarding at Camber Beach.

Jens said: “This was an unusual and extra heart-warming rescue. I didn’t think the situation would become life-threatening when the puppy ran into the water.

“However, after a brief conversation with the dog walkers, a rescue was initiated. The puppy was out of its depth in a gully and struggling to return to shore.

“The puppy was promptly assisted ashore and reunited with the dog walker. The wagging tail and spring in its step reassured me that all would be fine. It was all the gratitude I needed from this furry friend.”

The RNLI spokesperson added: “Upon returning the puppy to the dog walkers it was discovered that it wasn’t their dog but in fact their sister’s dog. They were not initially worried about the puppy as he visited the beach many times and always loved going in the water. Luckily the RNLI lifeguards are on hand and well-trained to spot individuals in distress and respond quickly and return everyone safely to sure.”

RNLI lifeguards will be on duty at Camber Sands central beach from 10am to 6pm every weekend.