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Whitstable RNLI land Jet Skier

Lifeboats News Release

A jet skier whose craft had broken down off Herne Bay had to be brought ashore by the Whitstable RNLI lifeboat on Tuesday morning.

Whitstable lifeboat alongside Neptune Jetty, Herne Bay after landing a jet skier on Tuesday. Picture: Herne Bay Coastguard Rescue Team

Picture: Herne Bay Coastguard Rescue Team

Whitstable lifeboat alongside Neptune Jetty, Herne Bay after landing a jet skier on Tuesday. Picture: Herne Bay Coastguard Rescue Team
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Launching at 11.29am the lifeboat crew located the casualty off Beltinge.

Helm Dave Parry said “He was trying to swim ashore towing his craft against the tide and an offshore wind”.

“He was brought onboard the lifeboat and along with his jet ski landed ashore at The Neptune Jetty where the Herne Bay Coastguard Rescue Team was waiting to assist”.

Dave Parry continued “Fortunately he was wearing a buoyancy aid and friends onshore called for help; however we would also recommend that people also carry a mobile phone in a waterproof case for use in such situations”.

The Margate Coastguard Team, the Coastguard helicopter from Lydd and Kent Police were also tasked to the incident. The casualty did not require medical attention. This was the 8th call of the year for the volunteer crews at Whitstable RNLI.



Notes to editors

  • Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat Station was established in 1963 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and is one of 237 lifeboat stations around the shores of the UK and Ireland. The volunteer crews provide a maritime search and rescue service for the Kent coast. They cover the area between the Kingsferry Bridge on the Swale, in the west, around the south-eastern side of Sheppey and along the coast through Whitstable and Herne Bay to Reculver in the east and outwards into the Thames Estuary.

  • The station is equipped with an Atlantic 85 lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Miss Lewis of London who passed away in 2006

  • She is what is known as a rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat, the boat’s rigid hull being topped by an inflatable sponson. She carries a crew of four people.

  • RNLI media contacts

  • Chris Davey, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Whitstable Lifeboat Station.
    07741 012004/     [email protected]

  • Julie Rainey - Regional Communications Lead : 07827 358256

  • Jess Curtis, Regional Communications Manager. Mob: 07483 488243| Email: [email protected]

For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789




Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

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