UK Coastguard tasked Porthcawl RNLI’s volunteer crew to assist two people who had got into difficulties whilst on paddleboards in Newton Bay and got swept onto and stuck on rocks. The casualties had a mobile phone with them in a waterproof pouch and were able to contact the Coastguard on 999 for help.

The charity’s D Class lifeboat D861 Hugo Missen was launched on service and quickly arrived on scene. The crew had to carefully manoeuvre the lifeboat amongst sharp rocks to reach the casualties – which had already popped one of the inflatable paddleboards. Once the lifeboat was in shallow water the crew jumped out and walked the lifeboat back to reach the casualties.

Both casualties were taken onboard the lifeboat and back to the beach at Newton where casualty care was administered by the crew for some minor cuts.

Our colleagues from Porthcawl Coastguard were also tasked to the incident and once the casualties were safely onboard the lifeboat the Coastguard Team recovered the paddleboards which had been swept ashore further along the coast.