Salcombe RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew respond to mayday call

The Coastguard received a call to the sighting of several people in the water near Start Point and along with Salcombe RNLI had also tasked a Coastguard Rescue Team and search and rescue helicopter to the area.

On route to the scene it was established that two divers had become separated from their dive boat and with that information the inshore ILB was diverted to that vessel.

Using their local knowledge of the tides and working with the Coastguard team the crew of the ALB were able to locate and recover the divers one mile South of the dive boat.

Having established that both divers were in good health and were not in any danger of decompression injury, they were passed back to the dive boat North of Start Point. The ALB and other services were then stood down with the ALB returning to Salcombe, leaving the ILB to escort the dive boat to Dartmouth before returning to Salcombe.

A special mention must be made of the unknown cliff walker who made the emergency call yesterday – that person's actions saved two lives.

Key facts about the RNLI

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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