Newquay RNLI called to woman trapped on cliff by spring tide
Newquay's RNLI lifeboat volunteers responded to a launch request from UK Coastguard on Sunday afternoon (20 March) after a 999 call was received from a woman trapped below steep cliffs near the Barrowfields by the incoming spring tide.
The RNLI crew were alerted at 4.37pm and launched the charity's D class inshore lifeboat within minutes to search for the stranded woman in the area north of Tolcarne Beach in a moderate south easterly breeze and two hours still to run until high tide.
With support from UK Coastguard who had spoken to the woman during her emergency 999 call and Newquay Coastguard rescue team working on the cliff top, she was found stranded ten feet up the cliff face with a two metre swell hitting the rocks.
Due to conditions under the cliffs, it was deemed safer for the stranded woman to be rescued by the crew of the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter. With the lifeboat crew standing-by a short distance offshore, and water breaking around her, the woman in her 20s was rescued from the cliff face by the helicopter winch paramedic and landed safely on Tolcarne Beach.
After their fourth shout in three days, the lifeboat crew returned to Newquay Harbour at 5.05pm and RNLI volunteer deputy launching authority, Wayne Martin said: 'This was a good response & teamwork from all of the emergency crews involved.
If you're walking the shoreline, please check tide times, watch your exit points and if you get into difficulties, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard'.
For further RNLI safety advice, go to:
www.rnli.org/safety/know-the-risks/tides
RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Andy Hobkinson, Newquay RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, email: [email protected] or mobile: 07880 507464 or Emma Haines, Regional Media Officer at [email protected] or 07786 668847 or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 (24 hours).
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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