HM Coastguard

Sunglasses and safety at the ready? Heading for the coast this Bank Holiday?  The sea won't spot the difference between the experienced paddleboarder and the rookie swimmer. And coastal paths won't care whether you're a seasoned walker or stepping out on your first hike... If you’re looking forward to enjoying some longed-for warmer weather, please remember that, although stunning, our coastlines can be challenging when it comes to safety. At the start of what’s set to be a busy summer around the UK, we’ve put together a few easy-to-follow safety tips that will help you and your loved ones make the most of the coast.      Rudy Rescue. Credit: Prawle Point Coastguard Rescue team  Latest rescues  Accidents on the coast can happen in the blink of an eye and catch you out before you know it whether you’re a local or on your first break in ages. Here’s selection of some ‘everyday’ incidents where our help has been needed in the last week. Rudy Rescue: Muc...

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Her Majesty’s (HM) Coastguard today launch a joint beach safety campaign as a new study reveals around 30M (1) people plan to visit the UK coast this summer. In a survey  (2) , commissioned by the RNLI, 75% of those questioned - aged 16-64 - expect to visit a UK beach or the coast between April and September, with around half of that number likely to do so three or more times.   A significantly higher proportion of the public (36%) also said they plan to visit the coast more than usual this year, compared to 2020 (24%). Last summer, RNLI lifeguards recorded more than 15M  (3)  visitors on the beaches the lifesaving charity was patrolling on. But with continued uncertainty over foreign holidays and international travel, the RNLI is predicting this summer will be the busiest ever as Covid restrictions are eased and people choose to ‘staycation’.  Bank Holiday Ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend and half-t...

HM Coastguard is continuing to provide support to NHS Western Isles as part of the ongoing vaccination programme on the Outer Hebrides and NHS Highland, assisting in COVID-19 Testing in Skye and Lochaber. Coastguard Rescue Service Teams and Duty Officers have been lending a helping hand at the mass vaccination clinics at Stornoway, Tarbert (Harris), Balivanish (Uist) and Castlebay (Barra) in the Western Isles. This work has helped to ensure that the sites run effectively and smoothly for those people who are attending appointments for either their first or second doses of Coronavirus vaccines. Coastguard teams are also providing a dedicated patient transport service to take those who would otherwise be unable to attend appointments, due to lack of transport, into these clinics.  Coastguard Rescue Teams in Skye and Lochaber are also working closely and in partnership with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service at COVID-19 testing stations in Skye and Lochaber – helping to ease any log...

  The famous author, illustrator and walker Alfred Wainwright wrote ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing’.   Many coastal lovers will feel that’s just not true.   Bad weather is a very real ‘thing’ that increases the dangers of ‘safety slip ups’ around our coasts and with it, the need to take extra care. Expect the unexpected A long, cold, damp spring that’s showing no immediate signs of improvement means that cliffs are more unstable due to heavy rain, the ground is soft and muddy and rocks and pathways are slippery.   And adding to the ‘danger mix’ are big tides, strong winds and waves which frequently mean long-buried ordnance (explosives) are exposed on our beaches. It’s certainly true that in the last month, we’ve been involved in many incidents where an innocent walk turned into a slip, trip or fall as well as some unexpected discoveries. Helicopter ride at Ravenscar Credit: Ravenscar, Scarborough and Burniston Coastguard Rescue...

As the weather warms up, many of us are planning on enjoying some more freedom with friends and family at the coast, please don’t become a drowning statistic this summer.   Did you know? (figures from the Royal Life Saving Society ) More than 46% of people who fall into water didn’t intend to 23% of drowning fatalities involve people aged between 16-30 Around 44% of accidental drownings happen between May and August Accidental drowning claims the lives of an average 402 UK and Irish citizens each year, affecting the lives of all the families and friends who’ve lost that loved one Drowning in the UK accounts for more accidental fatalities annually than fire deaths in the home or cycling deaths on the road ( National Water Safety Forum Drowning Prevention Strategy ) It’s recognised that alcohol can stop you thinking clearly, affect your co-ordination and suppress your natural response to fear and threats. And when that’s combined with an unscheduled or impromptu dip into cold ...

  Coastguards are pleading with youngsters not to engage in pranks for social media involving swimming and alcohol after a girl and boy were recovered from the water at Alfred Dock, Seacombe this evening.   The girl, a non-swimmer, had gone into the water with a bottle of alcohol and the boy intended to swim out to her, drink the bottle, and then attempt to rescue her. The prank was being filmed by another friend for social media.  A 999 call alerted the Police to the two teenagers who had soon gotten into difficulties. The police then contacted the Coastguard who sent the New Brighton and Crosby Coastguard Rescue Teams and the New Brighton RNLI Inshore Lifeboat. Mersey Fire and Rescue, Mersey Police and the North West Ambulance Service also attended. The male self recovered and Police threw a line to the female and recovered her from the water.   Ben Hambling for HM Coastguard says:   “For a few seconds on social media, these young people were willi...

Majestic and beautiful, our coastal cliffs are there to be enjoyed but a slip, trip or fall can happen in a split second. Don’t let a cliff calamity happen to you. Just last week, a slip up on a sunny day out on cliffs in Dorset turned a lovely walk with friends into a very close call. It could easily have been so very much worse. Alex Tridico slipped on the cliff edge at popular walking spot Old Harry Rocks on May Bank Holiday weekend and fell around 100 feet into the water below. Miraculously he survived, with serious but treatable injuries; three broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Old Harry Rocks. Shutterstock “This is it” From hospital just a few days after the incident, Alex told ITV’s Meridian News that when he slipped, his first thought was “this is it, that’s where I’m going to die”. i Credit: ITV Meridian “There was nothing near me to grab or try to hold onto,” said Alex. When he knew he was going to fall, he made a split second decision to push himself as far away ...