Rescue of young paddleboarders swept out to sea

A fine Sunday afternoon and the deceptively calm waters at Carlingford Lough in Northern Ireland seemed like the perfect day for two boys to enjoy one of their regular trips out on their paddleboard. But the wind and the strong currents had less than perfect ideas and the young brothers were quickly swept far out to sea as their anxious parents were forced to watch, wait and hope…. 

The Kilkeel Coastguard Rescue Team assembled at the Lough that afternoon to keep eyes on the drifting casualties, working closely with Kilkeel RNLI to get the brothers to safety

The two brothers, aged 8 and 11, set off from their regular sheltered spot on Sunday 21 September, watched by their dad. But as they got a little further out, the breeze picked up shockingly quickly and because it was blowing from the shore out to sea (offshore wind) together with a strong current heading in the same direction, they were soon in difficulties.  

Mum Sarah (name changed for privacy purposes) arrived and the worried parents did the right thing and called 999 to ask for the Coastguard. As they waited for the rescuers to arrive, they were left with no choice but to watch as their sons became harder to see as they were being taken away on the lough’s chilly waters.  

“I’ve never needed to call the Coastguard before and you always try hard to think it’s going to work out ok without calling for help. But this time it wasn’t ok, it was very frightening.  As we waited, it was an enormous comfort to have them there and know that they would do everything possible to save our boys,” said Sarah. 

The Kilkeel Coastguard Rescue Team and RNLI lifeboat quickly assembled and the Coastguard Officer in Charge was able to spot the boys and direct the RNLI lifeboat crew to their location. 

MCA surveyor Gary was one of the volunteer crew on the RNLI lifeboat from Kilkeel 

The brothers had sensibly stayed with the paddleboard to help keep them afloat but when the lifeboat crew arrived, both boys were wet and extremely cold. Gary, a former coastguard and now a surveyor with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency also volunteers with Kilkeel RNLI. He was one of the crew that afternoon. 

“By the time we got to them, they were a long way out and drifting into the shipping lane. We were so relieved to find them and we acted quickly to warm them up on the way back to shore as they were dangerously cold and wet,” he said.

The Kilkeel RNLI crew took the boys to Warrenpoint marina where they were reunited with their relieved parents and handed over into the care of the coastguard rescue team. The teams advised that both boys should be taken to hospital to be checked over.  

The ordeal did not end with the boys arriving on shore, added mum Sarah. 

“They were both exhausted with all the signs of hypothermia and our youngest son was unusually quiet. By the time we got home from hospital that evening, it was very late but we’re so grateful our boys are safe. I’d advise anyone to call 999 for the Coastguard if there’s any hint of someone in difficulty at the coast. It’s better to be safe than sorry,”


More information on staying safe for personal watercraft users: Sea safety | HM Coastguard UK

The teams train year-round

coastguards wearing blue uniforms discussing training

A group of coastguards in blue train at night underspotlights for rope rescue







Location: Kilkeel, Newry, UK

Popular posts from this blog

Celebrating the first Cospas-Sarsat Global Search and Rescue Day

Image
Today ( 10 September ) i s the first ' Cospas-Sarsat Global Search and Rescue Day' , and HM Coastguard colleagues are joining with t he international maritime and aviation community to c el ebrate the unique role they play in Search and Rescue .      In brief, C ospas-Sarsat is the system that detects and locates emergency beacons activated by aircraft , ships and people engaged in recreational activities in remote areas and then sends these distress alerts to search-and-rescue (SAR) authorities.     It means that if you are in distress anywhere in the world, by using the alert system, it will send your co-ordinate s (location) to the relevant SAR authorities. It’s estimated that over 60,000 lives have been saved worldwide since its inception in 1982.   There are 33 Mission Control Centres (MCCs) across the globe which serve as Ground Stations where distress alerts are received and validated before being transmitted to appropriate Rescue Coord...
Read more

A seriously scary walk in Wales

Image
One April day, Sally  lost her map, her hat and n early her life at L lansteffan .     An inno cent walk along the coast in Wales rapidly turned into something much more sinister for Sally and Clayton . One wrong step onto soft sand set off a chain of events that put Sally in a life-threatening situation . For Clayton , time stood still a s he could only watch the tide threatening to engulf Sally as they waited for their rescuers to arrive.   Fast response Thanks to the fast, life - sa ving decisions at the c oastguard operations centre at Milford Haven and a rapid response from the rescue teams , Sally and Clayton made it safely home after their ordeal last spring . But they both admit it was a shockingly close call and a n experience they never want to live through again.    They know they are incredibly lucky and are sharing their story to encourage anyone visit i ng the coast to always check the tide times , so a nice walk does not tu...
Read more

Rescue of teens trapped and in trouble at Bude

Image
A technical rescue tale of expert teams working together one August night. Two teenagers found themselves in serious trouble on a Saturday night on the rugged coast at Bude in Cornwall (23 August 2025) .  Their afternoon’s adventure had left them in a perilous position after the rising tide came in and trapped them , leaving no way out and creating a challenging rescue scenario for the HM Coastguard teams.     Teams at the scene working together Earlier that day, the two young men had climbed down a cliff below Upper Lynstone Caravan Park in Bude, below which there are narrow stretches of sand and rocks when the tide is out but are completely covered when the tide comes in . The pair were caught out by the tide and as they tried to climb back up the unstable, stony cliff to get away from the pounding waves , one slipped and both became trapped. To make matters worse, darkness fell and there was no-one in sight.   Luckily they had a mobile phone and cal...
Read more