Shirtless paddleboarders off Anglesey beach spark alert due to off-shore winds

North Wales Live

19-07-2025

A group of under-equipped paddleboarders sparked an alert off the coast of Anglesey. The men were struggling in off-shore winds at Traeth Benllech.
This saw the Coastguard alerted who scrambled a team and paged the Moelfre RNLI station.
They responded with their inshore boat in the incident at around 2pm on Thursday afternoon.
A spokesperson for Moelfre RNLI said: "RNLI Moelfre volunteers, launched our Inshore lifeboat (ILB) after being tasked by H.M. Coastguard. The task was to assist paddleboarders who were struggling in the offshore wind at Traeth Benllech.
"Also tasked were our colleagues at the Moelfre Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT). Upon arrival, the RNLI crew successfully rescued one of the paddlers, who was then safely transported to Benllech to be met by the CRT.
"The remaining four paddleboards were shadowed by our ILB as they made their own way back to the beach under the watchful eye of the Coastguard team, demonstrating the effective collaboration between RNLI and Coastguard in ensuring the safety of the paddleboarders.
"None of the paddleboarders were wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). The RNLI crew and the Coastguard team on the beach promptly provided comprehensive safety advice to the paddleboarders, ensuring they were fully aware of the potential risks and equipped with the knowledge to mitigate them in the future." Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Moelfre Coastguard Rescue team said: "The team were tasked following reports of paddleboarders struggling to make headway off Traeth Benllech . We were supported by our colleagues at RNLI Moelfre , who launched their Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) on service.
"On arrival, three paddleboards with five persons onboard were observed making their way towards St David's. Two Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) were dispatched to meet them on the beach, while two others were sent to the Traeth Bychan side to check on a solo paddleboarder who also appeared to be struggling.
"With the group of three boards safely landed at St David's, the ILB returned back towards Traeth Bychan and Traeth Lligwy for a precautionary sweep of the area.
"At St David's, our team were able to provide safety advice to the five individuals, none of whom were wearing lifejackets or PFDs , although they did have a phone in a waterproof pouch for communication. They explained they had checked the weather before launching but wisely chose to return to shore as conditions changed.
"Meanwhile, the second CRO team located the solo paddleboarder who had taken shelter ashore to rest. With the offshore breeze increasing and the individual appearing tired — and again, not wearing a lifejacket — the ILB made the decision to recover them safely.