One of the most effective ways of rescuing someone from drowning, is for someone nearby to throw the individual a rope. Ropes take two forms, plain ones and those in a throw bag. Throwing the plain rope is an international competitive event in lifesaving championships. In an aquatic environment, using a 17m rope, the record for coiling, throwing accurately, and pulling a casualty 15m to safety, is less than 9 seconds.

In this series of shots, taken at the RLSS Conference in May 2017, a UK competitor demonstrates aspects of the technique in a workshop for trainers teaching the skill to young people from the age of 8 to 21.