Porthdinllaen RNLI launched to reports of person in water in the Menai Straits
Porthdinllaen RNLI lifeboat was launched at 7:30am on Saturday morning to reports of a suspected person clinging to a buoy in the Menai Straits near Caernarfon.
The lifeboat and her compliment of volunteer crew launched immediately into force 9 winds and heavy following seas. Coastguard rescue helicopter 936 from nearby Dinas Dinlle was also scrambled along with land based Coastguard search teams.
With the rescue helicopter first on scene, the RNLI volunteers began the search around the C7 channel buoy where the reports had been received of a person in the water holding on to the buoy.
On arrival on Caernarfon Bar, the lifeboat was confronted by a heavy confused sea and a decision was made with UK Coastguard to stand by until the helicopter had finished its search before committing to proceed over the bar. Satisfied that there was no person in the water and no reports had been received of a missing person in the area, the decision was taken to stand all search and rescue teams down from their duties, with the lifeboat returning to her station.
At 9:45am with Second Coxswain Robert Jones at the helm, the all weather lifeboat was rehoused, refuelled and ready for service by 10am.
Kenneth Fitzpatrick, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Porthdinllaen, added: ‘Porthdinllaen RNLI volunteer crew were tasked after reports were received of what seemed like a person clinging to a buoy near a channel mark. During the search by the rescue helicopter a smaller buoy was found near the main buoy, with considering the conditions could be mistaken for a person in the water, the call was taken as a false alarm with good intent’
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