Rhyl RNLI volunteers called out twice overnight on Saturday 25 May.

The first call came when the UK coastguard at Holyhead received numerous 999 calls from a party of teenagers on Rhyl beach near the harbour entrance. A football had gone into the sea, and a young man went into the water to retrieve it. He got into difficulties, and a second man went into the water to help him. The local coastguard teams and the inshore lifeboat were paged and were on scene within five minutes of the call. They found the first casualty in a very poor state, showing signs of being hypothermic, and lapsing in and out of consciousness. The second casualty was conscious and very cold. The first man was put on oxygen and given other casualty care, warmed in a blanket, and monitored whilst the ambulance arrived. The second casualty was warmed up also. The men were transferred to an ambulance and taken to hospital.

The crew had just returned home after the first call, when the pagers alerted them to another callout. A member of the public had seen a fully-clothed male enter the water between the lifeboat station and the Sky Tower. Coastguards were alerted, and the inshore lifeboat crew were on immediate readiness for launch. Investigations by the local coastguard teams found the man had been found by police officers, and had been taken to hospital, so the units were stood down, the crew finishing at about half past midnight.

Paul frost, duty coxswain says 'In the first callout, we advise all people near the sea, and even by inland waters, to Respect the Water. Even though the air temperature is warm, the water is still cold at this time of year, and can incapacitate even the strongest swimmer. It is not advisable for anyone to enter the water to retrieve a ball, especially at night' .
Paul continued 'In the second case, we are happy that the casualty was rescued by other services, and hope the person recovers'

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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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

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