Margate RNLI issues urgent warning after people are cut off by the tide
Margate RNLI has assisted people cut off by the tide including a man attempting to wade around a headland to safety with a young child on his shoulders.
UK Coastguard was contacted by a member of the public around 2pm this afternoon (Monday 2 September) reporting two persons cut off by the tide at the Broadstairs end of Botany Bay, around two miles east of Margate harbour. Margate RNLI’s inshore lifeboat along with Margate Coastguard Rescue Team were tasked to investigate.
The lifeboat quickly located two adults isolated in a bay beneath the Botany Bay Hotel. They were not in any immediate danger and content to wait for the ebbing tide to allow their exit from the bay, the lifeboat crew supplied them with bottles of water for their unplanned extended beach excursion.
While the lifeboat helmsman was attending the couple ashore, the crew in the lifeboat spotted an adult male attempting to wade around an adjacent headland, he was up to his neck in water and had his young daughter on his shoulders. The lifeboat quickly recovered the man and child into the lifeboat and landed them in Botany Bay. They were both unharmed following their adventure and firm safety advice was provided, the local coastguard team also attempted to contact the pair. The lifeboat returned to station.
Nick Smith, Deputy Launching Authority, Margate RNLI said: “The situation with the man and child could have ended so differently. The area consists of uneven rock, sand and gullies, some deep: if they had stumbled into a gully the consequences could have been disastrous. We urge people to check the state of the tide before venturing around headlands and bays and if you find yourself cut off, stay where you are and attempt to raise the alarm by mobile phone or by shouting to anyone on the clifftop or a passing boat. Do not under any circumstances attempt to wade around the headland but remain in the bay above the waterline.”
ENDS
RNLI Media contacts
· Peter Barker, RNLI Margate Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer 07974 064304 [email protected]
· Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer (SouthEast), 0207 6207416, 07786 668825 [email protected]
· For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, 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.