North Berwick Lifeboat launched to two persons in the water off North Berwick Ha

North Berwick Lifeboat launched to two persons in the water off North Berwick Harbour

At 4.58pm today (Sunday 2^nd May) volunteer lifeboat crew members were page for an immediate launch to reports of two persons in difficulty in the water off the harbour at North Berwick.

Two off duty members of North Berwick Coastguard Rescue team called 999 when they saw two persons who had swam about 50m from the Old Pier into the fairway at North Berwick and appeared to be in difficulty.

Whilst the lifeboat was being launched, a passing yacht noticed the pair in distress, called 999 and quickly inflated a spare life jacket, throwing to the casualties to enable them to stay afloat. They also threw a line to them but they were initially unable to catch it as they were frantically trying to keep their heads above the water. The yacht managed to manoeuvre into a position to get the line to them and drag them aboard.

The two males were landed on the Old Pier as the lifeboat arrived on scene. The two casualties were administered first aid by shore lifeboat crew prior to being handed over to the ambulance crew before being taken to hospital due to near drowning and hypothermia.

The yacht Skipper Matt Gibbons said “I noticed two swimmers by the fairway buoy, as a former RNLI (Royal national Lifeboat Institution) lifeguard I noticed something was wrong. My crew shouted across to ask if they were okay. We didn’t receive an answer, however one of the casualties locked eyes with me, before his head sunk beneath the surface.

I immediately called 999 for the coastguard whilst circling back around them and inflating a spare lifejacket to throw to them. My crew also threw a line but the casualties were so involved in trying to keep themselves afloat that they initially couldn’t reach for either.

It was an eye-opening experience considering the safety of land was only 50 or so meters away, I’m thankful we passed when we did. A few minutes later and we might have been too late.”

North Berwick Lifeboat and North Berwick Coastguard Recue Team would like to remind coastal users that the water temperature is still very cold and can overcome people very quickly and if you find yourself in difficulty use the “float to live “ principle. More details are available on www.rnli.org

RNLI media contacts: Rhona Meikle, volunteer lifeboat press officer at North Berwick, 07767 251023, [email protected]

Or Gemma McDonald, Public Relations Manager Scotland on 01738 642956, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Or Martin Macnamara, RNLI Press Officer for Scotland, 01738 642946, 07920 365929, [email protected]

Or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789.

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For more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre www.rnli.org.uk/press

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 over 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 100 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. 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 137,000 lives. The RNLI is a charity registered in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

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.