RNLI lifeguards heading to Swansea Bay to help out in the charity’s Summer Sprint event last night (29 July), ended up sprinting out to sea themselves to rescue a 60-year-old fisherman who had become stuck waist high in mud by the incoming tide.
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeguard supervisor Chris Vaughan and senior lifeguard Joanne (Jo) Price responded to an emergency call from the Coastguard, which they heard while heading to Swansea Bay to assist at the charity’s Summer Sprint fundraiser.
Although Swansea Bay is not patrolled by lifeguards, Jo and Chris, who had just finished their normal day’s shift, heard over the radio that an incident was developing on Swansea Bay where a stranded fisherman needed rescuing.
The message they heard on their radio from the Coastguard was of a serious situation developing on the stretch of beach adjacent to St Helen’s Lane – with the Mumbles lifeboat, Coastguard, ambulance and an RAF Sea King helicopter being called to the emergency – where a 60-year-old fisherman was trapped up to his waist in muddy sand and water about 400 metres from the shore, with the rapidly incoming tide further endangering him.
Area lifeguard supervisor Chris Vaughan explains: ‘While Swansea Bay is not an area that RNLI lifeguards patrol, and despite the fact that we were not on duty, we knew we were the closest to the casualty and best placed to help.
‘It was clear this was a rapidly escalating incident, so we notified the Coastguard that we had arrived on the beach and had sight of the casualty, and could be tasked with the rescue attempt – the other agencies tasked to the rescue were still en route at this stage.
‘The Coastguard allocated the rescue to us, and so Jo and myself pulled the rescue boards off the truck, and because we did not have some of our operational kit with us, got into the water in our shorts and tops.’
Jo Price, who had been on duty at Cefn Sidan (Pembrey) beach from 10am to 6pm, recalls what happened next: ‘We were as close on the beach as we could get to the casualty but he was still about 400 metres away. We could see he was distressed and struggling.
‘We paddled out on two boards and we found the man stuck in muddy sand and water up to his waist – he was shocked and his feet were lodged so firmly he couldn’t move.
‘We used a combination of the two boards to manoeuvre under his arms and roll the man over at an angle and him on to one of the boards.
‘We then paddled him in on one board, while the other board was used to bring his fishing gear to shore. He was obviously very shaken by what happened and was checked over by the ambulance crew who had by then arrived.’
Divisional Lifeguard Manager for Wales, Neil Thomas, who was also on the beach at the time said of the two lifeguards’ actions: ‘Without hesitation, these two lifeguards offered their assistance without a second thought for being off duty, or of not having ever patrolled at this beach. I think that shows the exceptional professionalism of RNLI lifeguards.
‘I know Chris or Jo wouldn’t expect any extra recognition for what they did, but it was gratifying to find out that the Coastguard made a special point of thanking the pair for their quick-thinking intervention.’
