Warning from RNLI to respect the water as late night swimmer has lucky escape

The female had been drinking and at approximately 02:45 decided to swim out to the anchored fishing vessel Delta Dawn as her boyfriend was onboard. Once at the vessel she couldn’t get on deck and was too weak to swim back to shore. The crew were all asleep and did not hear her cries for help until two hours later.

The crew of Delta Dawn recovered the casualty and did a great job of changing her into dry clothes and wrapping her in a duvet to warm slowly from the effects of hypothermia.

Due to her condition Falmouth Coastguard requested the presence of Port Isaac RNLI to assess her clinical state and administer any medical help if required. Port Isaac Inshore Lifeboat Pride of Port Isaac (Goeth Portusek) launched with her volunteer crew and made their way to fishing vessel Delta Dawn.

After a triage in line with RNLI casualty critical care cards she was deemed to be recovering from the effects of her ordeal and therefore just required continued gentle warming and 15 minute observations whilst making their way back to Padstow Harbour.

At the harbour the casualty was handed over to the care of friends and advice given on what to look out for if there were any changes in her condition. The casualty was given safety advice about entering the water at night and whilst intoxicated. The volunteer crew were stood down and returned to the lifeboat station.

Around 190 people lose their lives at the UK and Irish coasts each year, and over half never even planned to enter the water. Cold water shock is triggered in water temperatures lower than 15⁰C – the average temperature of UK and Irish waters is 12⁰C. So even in the Summer, the water temperature is cold enough to cause cold water shock, which can steal the air from your lungs and leave you helpless in seconds. As part of the RNLI Respect the Water campaign it is our goal to halve the number of accidental coastal deaths by 2024.

Note to Editors

Please feel free to download and use the clip produced by the RNLI as part of their Respect the Water Campaign. https://rnli.org/video-player/D98BB773-9556-4A0D-8AA8D2790D512E64

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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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