HM Coastguard

Beauty can be deceptive, especially around our wonderful coast. The sea really doesn’t care who you are and will treat everyone with the same disdain. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an Olympic swimming sensation like Tom Dean, a celebrated round-the-world sailor like Dame Ellen MacArthur, the King or Queen of the Jungle or just someone out to have fun with friends and family. Whoever you are and whatever your experience, the sea might not care about your safety.  But we do -every hour and every day. People can and do get caught out in moments and happy turns horrible in seconds. With a little preparation and staying aware, the risks can be minimised. Credit Andrew Morris.  Mullion Coastguard Rescue Team and the RNLI were sent to help this week when three people on a dinghy were struggling with the tide and offshore winds  Hundreds of people have needed our help around the UK in the last week, in the best and worst weather, from blazing sun to storms and gales. They in...

If you get into difficulty at sea and make a distress call, we will respond. And can there be any more beautiful sight for someone who has done that than to see a lifeboat or a coastguard volunteer or a helicopter coming to their aid? Last night, the weather was bad across the south west. There were undoubtedly some very frightening moments for people caught in the middle of those storms. Imagine then, hearing the unmistakable sound of rescue coming in the form of the HM Coastguard helicopters from Newquay or St Athan and the hope it must bring. This was one of those moments when however prepared you are or whatever you've done to keep yourself safe and sheltered, even in an anchorage, it is sometimes no match for the merciless sea. Captain Debs Bhattacharya, who was one of the HM Coastguard pilots involved in a series of rescues off the south west last night said: “The strength of the wind was definitely the biggest challenge during this rescue as the gusts...

"I’ve just had an experience I never want again. It only takes once to get in trouble and lose your life". This is from a man of 47 who has spent a lifetime on his local coast in the Medway and he came very close to it being his last visit earlier this month. Medway Coastguard Rescue Team responding to a mud related incident He’s an angler and was on one of his regular trips to dig for bait " like I have done 1000’s of times" , he said. This time though, it was different. " I got stuck (in the soft mud). After an hour of trying to get free, I had sunk to just above my chest, never ever have I sunk that deep,"  he said. He was well and truly trapped. The tide was coming in and he was in grave danger. Luckily, he had a mobile phone and he called his family who called 999 and asked for the Coastguard. They did the right thing. " I knew I was in trouble and had used all my energy. They (Coastguard Rescue Teams) came by shore and a helicopter was on its w...

Coastguards across the UK have issued a stark warning to take care at the coast or risk tragic consequences.  The warning comes as many are expected to travel to the coast for beach holidays and days out in the UK across the remaining summer months.    In the past ten days, Her Majesty’s Coastguard recorded that nine people* have sadly died while visiting the beach or coast. Each death represents a widescale tragedy for the families and friends of those who have died. Others have faced life-changing injuries.   HM Coastguard is pleading with everyone to look after themselves, stay safe and avoid the dangers while at the seaside or coast.   Director of HM Coastguard Claire Hughes said :  “ We can’t emphasise this enough - the sea has no respect for whether you’re local or not and whether you’re experienced or not.     “Please always check weather conditions and tide times before going out. The Coastguard will always respo...

HM Coastguard’s first operational drone flight will join manned helicopters, planes, boats and cliff rescue teams on lifesaving missions at sea and over land in North Wales for the first time, this summer. The drone, initially trialled a year ago during the first easing of pandemic restrictions, will fly from the HM Coastguard helicopter base at Caernarfon, and will also participate in a series of major training exercises with other 999 teams. HM Coastguard’s search and rescue helicopters and fixed-wing surveillance aircraft provide support in maritime, coastal and inland environments, including mountainous regions.  During a phase of operational integration training, the drone - operated by Bristow Helicopters Ltd - flew in formation alongside both the HM Coastguard S92 helicopter from Caernarfon (also operated by Bristow), and HM Coastguard’s King Air surveillance aircraft, operated by 2Excel Aviation. Remotely piloted aircraft are expected to play a key role when UKSAR2G, the se...

Now the sunny weather has arrived, the holidays are here for some and just around the corner for others, we want people to take home only the happiest of memories. Enjoy the coast, stay safety-aware and know what to do if there is an emergency. Coastal emergency services have already been busy this summer and a press release has been issued to the national media (fuller summary below). In the press release, Claire Hughes, Director of HM Coastguard, said: ‘ Last year we had our busiest-ever summer on record, with 13,493 incidents from the start of June to the end of August. Despite the variable weather this June, we responded to 3,981 incidents - up from 3,536 in June 2020 - so we’re expecting it to be another busy season. ‘We want everyone to enjoy the summer around our coasts and take home only happy memories. The sea can be dangerous, so we’d ask everyone to help the emergency services by taking safety seriously.  ‘If you do see someone in trouble, don’t delay, call 999 ...

If you’re at the coast or beach today - please be watchful of the hidden and unexpected dangers. We’re currently coordinating the response to a multitude of incidents across the beaches and coasts of the UK, from lost children, to swimmers and paddleboarders getting into difficulty. When you call 999 because something’s gone wrong, we will respond as we are today. All we ask is that you take time to pause and take a little extra care on busy beaches and crowded coastal areas. Julie-Anne Wood, from HM Coastguard said: “We know many of you are already at the coast and enjoying the sunshine. We love it too. We also know things sometimes go very unexpectedly wrong and we will always respond when you call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.   “All we ask is that you don’t forget to think about keeping safe, things like going to lifeguarded beaches, checking tides, keeping a watchful eye on your children and your mates. Let’s make this the summer of taking home happy memories, not days we wa...

It’s hotting up for the weekend and the week ahead! If you’re among those popping on the sunglasses and picking up the buckets and spades ready to make the most of the warm weather at the coast, we want you to take home the happiest of memories.  Whether you’re a regular beach-goer or visiting for the first time in a while, do take care and keep safety-aware. Hot or not, accidents around the coasts can still happen even on the sunniest of days, trouble can still be around the corner and pop up when you’re least expecting it.  In the last month, our teams and fellow emergency services colleagues have been out as usual, helping people in difficulties around the coast. Enjoy the sun and the coast but don’t let an accident happen to you or your loved ones this weekend! Library image from Shutterstock Blink and you’ll miss them: It’s so very easy for young children to get lost in the beach crowds and we’ve already responded to hundreds of calls this year from panicked parents and...

John is a careful man. He is not one to ever be rash with people’s lives, especially when it comes to his children. So when he tells you how easily he found himself in trouble on our coasts earlier this year, you might want to listen. “We got lucky,” he said. “I could have lost one or more of my children that day.” The father of four from Liverpool had taken his children – Ethan (15), Gracie (13), Heidi (12) and Lottie (7) – and their dog for their first-ever trip to the Isle of Wight, with fantasies of the perfect water-based Spring bank holiday weekend. But the 37-year-old's break away almo st turned into a nightmare when he and all four children had to call for help from Her Majesty’s Coastguard. John with his four kids and dog on the beach they eventually became stuck on John said that he and the children had decided to try paddleboarding on Sunday, May 30 and – after ensuring they were properly kitted out with buoyancy aids, leashes and a fully charged mobile phone – had set o...

Help us to help you If you get into trouble around our coasts and/or in the water, minutes matter. Calling for help and letting us know where you are so we can find you quickly can make all the difference between going home for a cuppa… or never going home again. As part of Maritime Safety Week, we’ve been ‘talking tech’. Equipping yourself with some technical back-up is surprisingly easy, whether you’re tech-savvy or tech-averse. Credit: Friends of Portheras Cove. Our search and rescue helicopters have trained paramedics on board Tech that saved a life - kayaker Tech and the right safety equipment almost certainly helped to save the life of a man last month. A keen kayaker, he’d fallen out of his kayak in choppy conditions off the coast of North Devon and was struggling to get back in. He was wearing a lifejacket but was getting increasingly cold and tired after he’d been in the chilly water for 40 minutes. He pressed his DSC distress button on his VHF radio and HM Coastguar...

This week’s Maritime Safety Week marks almost six months to the day until Her Majesty’s Coastguard will celebrate a milestone birthday – and we need your help to make the occasion extra special. On January 15, 2022 HM Coastguard will turn 200. The history of the coastguard can be traced back to 1822 and, with more than 200 years of memories for us to look back on with pride, we know we have many stories to tell. And we hope that you can help us tell them, by sharing your pictures, memories and experiences over the years. The 21st century solution to search and rescue     Credit: AgustaWestland Over the past two centuries HM Coastguard has gone from strength to strength, with coastguard operations centres coordinating responses to emergency situations at the coast – calling upon approximately 310 Coastguard Rescue Teams – made up of around 3,000 dedicated volunteers – and 10 search and rescue helicopters. It is now one of the UK’s four frontline emergency services, operating a...

Two people from the UK have been winched to safety from their broken down catamaran in stormy conditions 240NM southwest of Brittany in a long-range rescue coordinated by HM Coastguard.    At just before 7pm yesterday (5 July), HM Coastguard received a distress alert from a UK-registered personal locator beacon (PLB).    Thanks to the emergency details registered with the PLB, it was established that the signal had come from a 45 ft catamaran with two people on board, travelling from Cape St Vincent in Spain back to the UK.    Although the skipper of the yacht was known to be experienced, weather conditions in the area were known to be poor. It was also impossible to contact him.    HM Coastguard broadcast a message to the area and used its state-of-the-art Vessel Monitoring Systems to identify ships in the vicinity that might be able to help.    Three...