HUMBER COASTGUARD COORDINATE RESCUE OF DIVER OFF GREAT YARMOUTH

When a distress call is received at a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), the search and rescue mission coordinator will make decisions as to which rescue resource is the most appropriate to send. This takes into account many factors, including distance to the incident, time taken for the resource to arrive on scene, weather conditions, and the capability of the resource.

In an incident off Great Yarmouth today, Humber MRCC was contacted by a dive vessel reporting that one of their divers had surfaced and was in difficulty. The incident occurred 17 miles offshore and the decision was made to send the RAF search and rescue helicopter from Wattisham as this was the quickest way to get the casualty to hospital. The Gorleston RNLI all-weather lifeboat was also requested to launch to assist with the transportation of the dive buddy, particularly in view of the distance offshore.

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