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Rescued student returns with unique thank you gift for Newhaven RNLI
In May 2026, Zeyang Li, an international student from China, who was studying in London, was saved by the volunteer crew at Newhaven RNLI, when he and his companion were cut off by the tide near the cliffs at Seven Sisters. Last month, he came back to the station to pay tribute to the crew.
Zeyang, who loved this stretch of Sussex coastline so much he’d visited it eight times during his studies, had seen a post online, which raved about a beach walk under the cliffs, that it said could be completed in under an hour. The post, which was on Chinese social media, made no reference to or warning of the risk of tidal cut off.
The pair had been walking for well under an hour, when the tide suddenly came up and cut off their safe route back.
‘It was so scary,’ says Zeyang. ‘We knew we couldn’t walk off the beach safely, so we had to think of other solutions. We had no phone reception, so we used the flash on my camera to make SOS signals out to sea.’
Luckily for Zeyang, a boat saw their distress call and raised the alarm with HM Coastguard, who tasked Newhaven RNLI to save them.
‘I thought I was going to die,’ says Zeyang. ‘I was planning to make a goodbye video for my family and friends but then the lifeboat arrived. I felt such relief.’
In September, Zeyang returned to Newhaven’s lifeboat station to thank the crew members - Dan, Kath, Steve and Rich - personally for saving his life. ‘It’s a Chinese tradition to gift a flag or Jin Qi to someone who has saved your life, such as a doctor,’ he says. ‘It’s less common in the digital age, but I thought it would be a nice way of showing my gratitude to the volunteer crew at Newhaven.’
Zeyang had the ornate red flag, which has a golden fringe and tassels, specially made in China, and the embroidered font reads: ‘To Newhaven Lifeboats… No deed is greater than saving a life’ in English and Chinese characters.’ It now hangs proudly at the lifeboat station.
There is a high risk of tidal cut off in the Birling Gap and Seven Sisters area this week, until Thursday 15 October. If you're planning to walk, paddle, or paraglide along the coastline over the next few days, be aware that high tides will increase the risk of getting cut off by the rising tide.
- Always check the forecast and tides before you set out.
- Let someone know your plans.
- Carry a means of communication.
- If you find yourself in the water, remember Float To Live.
- If you see someone in difficulty in the water, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
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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.
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