Barmouth RNLI inshore lifeboat was launched at 2.25pm on Saturday (24 July) after a request from the coastguard when two people were reported to be in the sea off Borthwen Farm, Llwyngwril. They had become separated from their speedboat and were struggling in the water.
The inshore lifeboat launched immediately and was on the scene very quickly to find that the two people, a father and son, had managed to clamber aboard their speedboat and return to the shore.
Before the incident occurred the son was being towed behind the speedboat on a wakeboard. They hit a freak wave that threw the father out of the boat and the son off the wakeboard, causing the son to incur some minor scratches.
After the crew on the inshore lifeboat had checked that the pair were okay, they returned to the lifeboat station.
John Probert, Barmouth RNLI’s Lifeboat Operations Manager, said, ‘Because wakeboarding is performed in deep water, riders should be proficient swimmers and wear a life vest to ensure safety. A spotter should always be used on the boat to keep an eye on the rider and relay communication between the rider and driver. Thankfully there were no serious casualties in this incident.’
