RNLI Oban crew called to reports of kayakers in trouble
Oban’s volunteer lifeboat crew were called out late on Sunday evening to reports of a group of kayakers in trouble on the Falls of Lora and concerns that one of them was in the water.
The Trent Class All Weather lifeboat Mora Edith MacDonald was launched at 10.37pm and the crew were able to reach the area where the people were last seen in less than fifteen minutes.
After finding nobody during a thorough search of the waters and shoreline around Connel in fading light, the team stood down and returned to base.
Later reports suggested that the group may have been on inflatables and had safely reached shore.
Oban RNLI Water Safety Officer Tony Hammock warned the stretch of water around the mouth of Loch Etive can be dangerous and should only be tackled by experts with the right equipment including lifejackets:
“The Falls of Lora can be challenging area of water for even more experienced water users, and is not suitable for inflatables. As the tides change, the water can change in a matter of minutes from being calm to quite turbulent with strong currents going out to sea.
“The people who raised the alarm from the shore did the right thing by contacting the Coastguard on 999.”
Notes to Editors
The RNLI is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Picture credit: Stephen Lawson/RNLI
Oban Lifeboat volunteers this year celebrated fifty years of saving lives at sea.
Oban is a busy station serving one of the largest stretches of coastline in the UK, flanked by RNLI colleagues based at Tobermory, Islay and Campbeltown.
The Oban volunteer crew operate the Trent Class All Weather lifeboat Mora Edith MacDonald from our base at the South Pier on Gallanach Road, close to the CalMac ferry terminal.
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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