Lucky escape for kayak fisherman plucked from water by RNLI Moelfre

The inshore lifeboat was launched and underway within five minutes of receiving the call and proceeded to the area. Also tasked were Moelfre coastguard rescue team and the HM coastguard rescue helicopter from Caernarfon. The inshore lifeboat, helmed by inshore lifeboat Helm Alan Owen was quickly on scene and found a man in his forties clinging to the fishing kayak.

The man was assisted on-board by volunteer crew Josh Edwards and Rob Jeffrey, and quickly assessed for any injuries. The man estimated that he had been in the water for over 15 minutes, having struggled several times to re-board his kayak. He was showing signs of immersion, was cold and coughing heavily. An ambulance was requested and the casualty handed over to the awaiting coastguard team. The rescue helicopter was stood down shortly after the man was located.

The inshore lifeboat returned to sea to recover the drifting kayak and its equipment to prevent any further reports by concerned members of the public. Following an assessment by a Paramedic, the man was taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd Bangor by ambulance for further checks.

Moelfre’s longest standing volunteer Helm and crewmember of 27 years, Alan Owen said:

‘The Easter bank holiday meant we had plenty of crew off work and local to the station which resulted in an extremely fast launch. The man was quickly located and thankfully had all of the correct safety equipment such as a wetsuit, buoyancy aid and means of communicating distress. He was coughing heavily by the time we got him to the beach which is a clear sign of salt water ingestion and inhalation. This was a great multi agency rescue effort which resulted in the quick and efficient rescue of a person in the water’

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The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.

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