A 10-YEAR-OLD boy survived for almost an hour in the sea at Scarborough after following advice he'd seen on a TV programme.

The RNLI said the child was found by its inshore lifeboat crew floating on his back in the water, with his arms and legs spread, and shouting for help - precisely the advice that the lifeboat organisation gives to anyone in the water needing assistance.

Coxswain Lee Marton said: "We were told that he’d been watching lifeboat rescues on the BBC documentary Saving Lives at Sea and had followed the advice given on the show.

‘We’re very much in awe of this incredible lad, who managed to remain calm and follow safety advice to the letter in terrifying and stressful circumstances. Had he not, the outcome might have been very different."

He said the boy had been reported missing near Scarborough Spa last Friday evening and the inshore lifeboat was launched to assist North Yorkshire Police and Humber Coastguard in looking for him.

He was found near Vincent Pier after having been swept by the tide and wind nearly the entire distance across South Bay.

He was escorted to the lifeboat station where he was reunited with his family before being taken for a precautionary check-up at Scarborough Hospital by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

A spokesperson said the ‘Float to Live’ advice was a key message in the RNLI’s national drowning prevention campaign, Respect the Water.

"It urges people to follow this potentially lifesaving advice if they find themselves in trouble after falling into cold water:

"Fight your instinct to swim hard or thrash about – this can lead to breathing in water and drowning.

"Instead, relax and FLOAT on your back, until you have regained control of your breathing.

For more information and instruction on how to Float to Live and the RNLI’s campaign, visit rnli.org/pages/ppc/beach-safety/beach-safe-float