WELL-EQUIPPED KAYAKER FOUND SAFE AND WELL


A well-equipped kayaker who became fatigued and who had ingested sea water after his kayak capsized has been rescued offSeaford this afternoon.

The man made a mayday broadcast from his handheld VHF radio at just after 2.00 pm requesting assistance because he was in difficulty having capsized and was now very cold. He was dressed in a dry suit with a buoyancy aid and was also carrying a GPS.

Solent Coastguard requested the Newhaven RNLI Lifeboat to launch and scrambled the Coastguard helicopter from Lee on Solent. The lifeboat quickly located the kayaker, who by this point had managed to get back into his kayak, but was cold and wet and had ingested a significant amount of sea water. The kayaker was taken onboard the lifeboat and was brought back to shore where paramedics from an awaiting ambulance were able to examine him, before giving him some advice about symptoms to look out for following sea water ingestion.

Tony Wheeler, Solent Coastguard Watch Manager says:

"This kayaker was very well-prepared for his trip, being dressed correctly for this time of year, in a drysuit and buoyancy aid. He was also carrying a handheld VHF radio and a GPS, which meant that should he get into difficulty, it would be easy to call for help and for rescuers to find him quickly.”

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