The ILB, carrying four crew members, quickly located the group on the western side of the headland. The casualty, one of seven climbers, had fallen a significant distance onto a rocky ledge and sustained serious injuries. With the tide halfway out and falling, the conditions made bringing the lifeboat close to shore extremely hazardous. The helm therefore deployed two crew members ashore with a first aid kit to assess and stabilise the casualty while the boat remained nearby.
Due to the difficulty of extracting the casualty by sea, Coastguard Helicopter 936 was requested. A winchman paramedic was lowered to provide further medical assistance before both casualty and winchman were lifted back into the helicopter. The complex winch operation was made more challenging by the sheer cliff face, along with the strength and direction of the wind.
Once the casualty had been safely evacuated, attention turned to the rest of the group. Though they had initially planned to climb out, the lifeboat crew offered to take them ashore instead. Working carefully, the crew managed to bring the boat close enough for the six remaining climbers to board in pairs. While the position would never have allowed for a casualty recovery, it was just manageable for the uninjured climbers.
With all climbers accounted for and safely ashore, the lifeboat returned to station.
The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.
