COASTEERING INSTRUCTOR SWIMS FOR HELP AFTER GROUP GET CUT OFF BY TIDE


A coasteering instructor was forced to swim to a passing boat to ask them to raise the alarm this evening after a group of eight coasteerers were cut off by the tide at Ilfracombe in North Devon.

The group of eight – which included two adults and six 12-year-old girls – had been coasteering along the coast at Hele Bay when they became cut off by the tide.  The group had no means of raising the alarm, and so decided to wait for a passing boat to as for their help.  At 8.05 pm, the instructor spotted a vessel and swam out to it – asking them to use their VHF radio to call Swansea Coastguard for help.  By this time they had been stranded on the beach for an hour.

Swansea Coastguard sent the Ilfracombe Coastguard Rescue Team to the scene and requested the launch of the Ilfracombe RNLI Lifeboat.  The lifeboat arrived on scene at 8.20 pm, and picked up all eight and brought them safely back to shore, where they were met by the Coastguard Rescue Team and given safety advice.

Swansea Coastguard Watch Manager Will Parfait said:

“By the time the lifeboat reached the eight people darkness had set in and the group – especially the young girls – were very cold.  Anyone heading out onto the coast, especially those involved in an activity such as coasteering where there are associated dangers, should always carry with them a means of raising the alarm, whether it be a mobile phone, VHF radio, or handheld flares.   You should always check the tide times before setting out on a coastal trip, particularly over the coming weeks as the spring tides mean higher tides.”

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