A volunteer lifeboat crew member in Porthcawl, Wales, has described this summer as “manic” after his team was called out 14 times in a single day to rescue paddle boarders being blown out to sea by strong winds.
Chris Missen, from the Porthcawl RNLI, said the hot weather brought significant challenges for his crew. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “Some of them had like six or seven young lads on them, and it was just chaos. I think the only way to describe it is is manic. This summer definitely stands out as one of the most challenging.”
Advice for Paddle Boarders
Missen, who also works as a police officer and runs a chip shop, offered advice for those new to paddle-boarding. “Our advice would be just always go to a lifeguarded beach, get some advice off a lifeguard, and if they say don't go, don't go,” he said. He noted that many people buy paddle boards “from the middle aisle of Aldi, for example” and set off without prior knowledge or experience.
He described the frustration of seeing people ignore warnings: “As we were bringing paddle boarders back, there were people coming past us and we were saying - ‘guys, we’re going to be coming back and you need to apply a little bit of common sense’. We don’t really get annoyed but it can be frustrating.”
Heat and Other Risks
The heat also posed problems for the rescuers themselves. “It's lovely to see that the seaside towns are thriving and the beaches are full of people but it comes with its own challenges for us. The lifeboat crew are in the same heat as those people enjoying it - except we're in dry suits and life jackets, so it becomes very, very warm for us,” Missen explained.
The endless sunshine also led to an increase in missing children on packed beaches. His advice to parents is to be “super-vigilant”: “It’s easy to say, but don't let them out of your sight if they're anywhere near the water's edge. They need to be 100% at the forefront of your attention.”
Key Safety Messages
Missen urged people to tell others their plans before swimming. “Make sure that you tell somebody you're going, where you're going, and when you're expected to be back - so that if you don't return, the alarm can be raised.”
He also stressed that those on shore should not attempt rescues themselves. “It’s the most natural thing in the world to want to save your loved one but if you are the person that's staying on the shore that doesn't mean you are the rescuer, that means you are the alerter. If you're going in the water to rescue someone, you're very, very likely to end up in a similar predicament to them, so always raise the alarm and stay in eye contact with the person in difficulty. Early recognition is key to a successful outcome.”
Upcoming TV Series
The new series of Saving Lives at Sea, returning for its 11th run on BBC2, features rescues across the country, including a dad trying to save his kids swept away in a dinghy, a major incident in the English Channel with mass casualties, and an unconscious sailor whose young daughters are steering a runaway yacht.
In the first episode, Missen and his team struggle with a difficult rescue because they know the person in danger. The casualty was a fisherman named Alex, who had been dragged overboard by a fishing line and was miles out in the Bristol Channel. Missen recalled: “There's a weight of responsibility you have as a lifeboatman when you're tasked to go and save someone, but that weight seems tenfold when you know that person, and you know that you're going to have to face that family.”
Fortunately, the fisherman was found clinging to a buoy. Missen said: “He was incredibly grateful and so relieved. But at the same time, the coolest cucumber you could come across. He was like, ‘Cheers, guys. Right, where's my boat?’ Alex had mild onset hypothermia but he's a roughty, toughty fisherman and it took some convincing, shall we say, to get him to have medical checks and make sure that he was really OK. We get lots of shout outs and there's a few that stand out in your lifeboat career - this is definitely one of them for me.”
Saving Lives at Sea airs on BBC2, Tuesday at 8pm.
