South Wales Fisherman saved by his phone
'Without his quick thinking we would have seen a very tragic result today'
The Emergency services had received a 999 call from a man in the water off Porthcawl.
Both Porthcawl lifeboats and a Coastguard helicopter had been tasked to respond to the call.
The man had been working on deck when a rogue rope had taken him over the side just as he was getting into his life jacket and waterproofs. Fortunately he managed to get hold of one of his own marker buoys and call for help using his waterproof mobile phone.
The man was spotted by the Coastguard helicopter and he was quickly pulled from the water by the volunteer crew of Porthcawl's Atlantic lifeboat. A Coastguard paramedic was lowered from the helicopter and the man quickly transferred to the warmth of the Mumbles all weather lifeboat which made immediately for the station.
The first shout for our newly qualified volunteer coxswain Josh Stewart who said ‘The fisherman was very well prepared for safety at sea. He carried a Personal locator beacon in his life jacket but unfortunately was pulled over the side while dressing. Again his quick thinking of carrying a waterproof mobile phone definitely saved him. His boat was still under power and came ashore on the beach at Porthcawl. He’d been in the water for nearly an hour when he was picked up. His body temperature was very low when he came to us and he was shaking considerably from being in the cold water . He’s a very lucky guy.’
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.
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