Climber assisted by Trearddur Bay volunteers after fall

The boats reached the scene at a popular climbing spot near South Stack Lighthouse just after 2:30pm and stood by as a member of the coastguard cliff rescue team descended half way down the cliff face to the casualty before assisting him to the bottom and straight into the charities awaiting D Class boat. Both the casualty and the coastguard cliff rescue member, Brendan Maguire, were then transferred onto the stations Atlantic 85 and brought back to the station at 5pm.

Crew member Steven Williams said, “the climber, Paul Georgenson, seemed ok apart from a swollen ankle which was good news, I know him and spoke to him later after he got home, he said he was fine and it was great when the boats showed up really quickly after making the 999 call. Paul commented that, “the crew were really good, engaging in a calming friendly banter as they directed the coastguard cliff team member down to my position.” He explained that he had been attempting a particularly difficult part of the climb when his foot slipped and he shouted to his climbing companion that he was ‘going’. His companion caught him on his belay, which is the safety rope that prevents a climber falling too far, after which Paul said, “I swung below the overhang scratching my legs, impacting my wrist and leg as I tried to stop myself hitting the rock face. After attempting and failing to regain the climb twice I realised I was stuck and made the call for help.”

Helmsman Daf Griffiths added, “Brendan did a great job bringing him down safely, it always feels like a job well done when the teams work so well together”.

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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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