HM Coastguard

A swimmer has been saved in a time-critical rescue at Groomsport Harbour, Northern Ireland, thanks to his own actions and the quick thinking members of the public who called 999 and asked for the Coastguard. The man found himself in difficulties on Friday (6 September) during his regular sea swim at around 8am and his calls for help were heard by several members of the public on the shore. They immediately called 999 to alert the Coastguard which meant that expert rescue teams were quickly sent to help. Coastguard rescue teams from Bangor and Portaferry were sent, along with the RNLI lifeboat from Bangor and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. No time to lose When the rescue teams arrived at the scene, they could see there was no time to lose. While waiting for the rescuers, the tired and chilled swimmer had done the right thing and adopted the Float To Live position. He was about 50 metres off the shore and the highly trained Coastguard rescue teams decided the swiftest and ...

Did you know that in addition to our year-round work to keep people safe around the UK’s coasts, our teams of dedicated volunteers and staff are always on call to lend a hand to other emergency services and partners? Over the last year, our teams, our vehicles and search and rescue helicopters have been involved across the country providing support where it’s needed most. This Volunteers Week, we’re taking a look back on just a few of the ways in which we’ve come to the rescue in what’s been an extraordinary year. Credit: Stornoway Coastguard Rescue Team COVID-19 response In Scotland’s Western Isles, our volunteers and staff stepped in to help with carrying essential tests in complex and crucial transportation that involved two ferry crossings and road trips in a 140-mile trip. The search and rescue helicopter from Stornoway also supported NHS Western Isles by moving vulnerable patients from Barra to hospital in Stornoway. And the work has continued with the provision of transport for ...

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...

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 ...

Almost 13,000 people have needed the help of HM Coastguard since the beginning of this summer – this weekend, don’t become another statistic. As the UK looks set for a mix of weather this coming Bank Holiday weekend, coastguards are warning people to follow the safety advice and not to take any risks at the coast or in the sea. It has been HM Coastguard’s busiest-ever summer on record, with the emergency service dealing with 12,752 incidents since the start of June up until 26 August. This has involved call-outs for Coastguard Rescue Teams, search and rescue responses with aircraft, RNLI and independent lifeboats and hovercrafts, as well as work to support emergency service partners. This summer’s overall incident count is an increase of 16% when compared to the corresponding period last summer (10,884 incidents between 1 June and 26 August 2019). This August alone, the coastguard has responded to nearly 5,000 incidents at the coast – a rise of about 1,000 when compared to August 2019 ...

 HM Coastguard's specialist rope rescue teams were called in just before 9am on Friday (21 August) to help the Scottish Ambulance and the Fire and Rescue service at a remote location in Scotland where a man had fallen around 30ft down a steep, difficult-to-access gorge and onto the riverbed below. Coastguard Rescue Teams with specialist expertise in rope rescues were sent from Burghead, Inverness and Nairn, together with a Senior Coastal Operations Officer to the scene on the river Findhorn. And they played an important role in a challenging multi-agency rescue. One of the Coastguard Rescue helicopters from Inverness was also dispatched with a winchman paramedic on board and emergency services partners from Scottish Ambulance and Scottish Fire and Rescue were at the scene.   Until the early afternoon, the teams worked closely together in the difficult circumstances and isolated location to find the safest and most efficient means of getting the man to safety.  The added p...

HM Coastguard dealt with 340 individual incidents across the whole of the UK on Saturday (8th August) – our highest amount of call-outs in a single day for well over four years. Packed coastlines and beaches kept us very busy throughout another hot heatwave day, which saw Coastguard Rescue Teams attend 221 incidents. Both the RNLI and independent lifeboats were called out on 155 occasions combined and aircraft (30 taskings) were also used to assist at the coast and sea. HM Coastguard responded to 186 999 calls yesterday and coordinated search and rescue responses to a wide-range of incidents, which included people being cut off by the tide and children swept out to sea on inflatables. In total, the service rescued 146 people and assisted a further 371 people. Saturday’s incident count (340) represents a significant 145% increase when compared to the average amount of call-outs we recorded throughout August 2019. The count also surpasses our previous (and recent) busiest day over the pa...

The HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Stornoway winched all of the eight-person crew to safety from a cargo vessel which had ran aground in adverse weather conditions in the early hours of Monday (23rd March). Despite strong winds and complete darkness, the helicopter was able to successfully evacuate all on-board. Portree RNLI lifeboat were also involved in the rescue. The vessel, which made contact with the Coastguard and reported taking on water, now remains on hard ground at Sgeir Graidach rock in the Minch in north-west Scotland - and is being monitored by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency's Emergency Towing Vessel, Ievoli Black. Watch the video of the helicopter airlifting one crew member from the vessel below:

Imagine this. A total stranger saves your life by stepping in to help you at a time of emergency, but you have no way of thanking them? In fact, you don’t know their full name, whether you will ever see them again and have only a tiny clue to who and where they might be. Back in September of this year, holidaymaker Liam Muns, 34, who was in Disneyland Paris, suffered a major health scare after choking on his food at a restaurant one evening. A first aider was needed and thankfully sitting just a few tables away from Liam and his family was Harry Patrick, a volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer with Mullion Coastguard Rescue Team, who was on holiday too, with his family. Earlier this year – in June, Harry acquired new-found first-aid and life-support training skills as part of his operator role with HM Coastguard, and he was able to put that knowledge to use there and then, in the heat of the moment. Liam Muns Indeed, his intervention – alongside one other person who of...

Watch the dramatic moment when a man was rescued by a HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter in a remote area of Cornwall on Sunday (10th November). The team on-board Newquay-based Sikorsky S92 aircraft were actually airborne and on their way to Land’s End for a routine training exercise – but received contact from the Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team and the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC), reporting that a man had fallen into the water at Porthcothan, a coastal village between Newquay and Padstow. Walkers at Park Head cliff tops in Porthcothan saw a local fisherman washed off the rocks at Bedruthan Steps and straight into freezing cold seawater. Responding to the incident straightaway, the search and rescue helicopter headed to the scene but were roughly 30 minutes or so away from caring to the man. Fortunately, during the time it took for the search and rescue team to arrive at Porthcothan, a quick-thinking member of the public managed to throw a life-ring...