Whitby Folk – an RNLI Whitby lifeguard

Whitby is full of interesting people. Through their daily work they help keep the town ticking and help make it a great town to visit.
Shoreline Cottages has interviewed a number of these ‘Whitby folk’ to find out why they love the town so much and how they think it’s changed. Today we meet Oliver Shaw a full time RNLI lifeguard.

Do you mind telling us how old you are? 20

Have you lived in Whitby all your life? Yes, I’ve lived here all my life. My family have been here for around 10 generations. My Mum works at a day care cenre and my Dad works offshore. I’ve worked here for 4 years. My job is to save lives at sea – that’s the RNLI motto. I work from 10am to 6pm 5 days a week and take radio calls as well as man the office. We rescue people by jet ski and rescue boards. I love the lifestyle and being on the beach all the time but it can get boring if there isn’t much going on. We do see some unusual things – the other day a guy got his foot impaled with a metal bar and the tide was coming in so we had to lift him off the beach with a crane.

What do you love most about Whitby? I love that everybody knows eachother in Whitby. It’s a quiet town and I love living near the sea.

What do you like least about Whitby? Sometimes everyone knowing you isn’t a good thing – they all know your business!

What has changed in the town over the past 10 years or so? It’s got a lot busier. We have a lot more rescues to make during peak season as more people come to visit the beach. The weather can be bad and the surf can be big which of course increases the danger if people take risks out at sea. If I could change anything I would stop the town from getting any bigger.

In your spare time what do you like to do? Surfing and swimming.

Will you ever leave Whitby? I don’t think I’ll levae Whitby. I like it here. All my family and friends are here and I like living by the sea.