Tenby inshore lifeboat saves four swimmers caught in current
Lifeboats News Release
Tenby's inshore lifeboat was launched at 8pm on Sunday 14th August after the coastguard received a call reporting that 4 swimmers were caught in the current between St Catherine's Island and Castle beach and were being taken out to sea.
The volunteer crew were on scene in minutes and quickly spotted the casualties frantically waving to them. The current had taken them several hundred metres out to sea. They were quickly plucked from the water and checked over to make sure they needed no medical assistance. Luckily, they were cold and very tired but otherwise, unharmed.
As they headed towards shore to drop off the casualties, they offered a lift back in to a member of the public that had spotted the swimmers in difficulty and was swimming out to assist.
With all the casualties now safely ashore, the lifeboat was stood down to return to station, arriving at 8.15pm.
A spokesperson for Tenby RNLI said, "When going sea swimming, always try to go with others and keep an eye out for signs alerting you to dangers such as rips and currents. The swimmers were very lucky on this occasion that someone spotted them in difficulty and that the lifeboat crew got there so quickly, otherwise it could have been a totally different outcome. Our thanks to the swimmer who was on their way to assist and also to the kayakers who were arriving on scene to help at the same time as the lifeboat".
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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