Looe RNLI volunteers rescue teenager cut off by tide
This was the second call out in 2025 for the volunteer crew and both were due to people being caught out by the tide, the RNLI said. It urged people to be aware of the tides and particularly the high tides at this time of year.Ian Foster, Looe RNLI's volunteer press officer, said: "Last night's tide was one of the highest spring tides of the year." He said the public should always take note of their surroundings as tidal cut offs could happen at any state of the tide. "Luckily the casualty had a means of calling for help and did not attempt to climb further up the cliffs," he added.
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Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Swimmer, 50, dies after being pulled from sea in Cornwall
A woman has been confirmed dead after swimming of the coast of Cornwall. The swimmer was pulled from the water at Portreath beach in Redruth this afternoon. The woman, who is believed to be aged around 50, is thought to have suffered from a cardiac arrest after being rescued from the sea. She was declared dead at the scene. Police were alerted to the incident at around 12.35pm following a report from the ambulance service. RNLI lifeguard also attended the incident. Cornwall Live reported that officers were called to the beach to assist paramedics as the popular spot was full of sunbathers at the time. Police have yet to identify the woman or contact her next of kin. Think about the water temperature and weather. Plan your exit before you get into the water and consider currents, tidal flow and wind direction. Wetsuits help to manage exposure to cold water and insulate against the cold. They also keep you buoyant. Wear a brightly coloured swim hat and take a tow float and whistle to attract attention. Manage the impact of cold water shock by entering the water slowly, making sure you have control of your breathing before starting your swim. All open water swimming should take place in water at 11 degrees or above, unless you are an experienced and competent cold water swimmer. Never swim alone and swim parallel to the shoreline. If you do get into difficulty, it's important you don't panic. Stay calm and float on your back until you can control your breathing and then continue to swim once again or signal for help. Portreath beach, like all beaches in Cornwall, experiences tides. More Trending Its spring tidal range can be noticeable, considerably affecting water depth. Beachgoers can be taken by surprise by quickly changing tides, the Met Office has warned. It comes a day after a woman in her 60s died after drowning off a beach in Lincolnshire. Emergency services pulled the swimmer out of the water at Skegness Beach at about 5.30pm on Saturday. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Manhunt for 'aggressive' man who chased sheep over cliff to its death in Cornwall MORE: Police deny multiple bodies discovered in woodland in hunt for missing man MORE: Surgeon 'amputated his own legs after buying videos from Eunuch Maker'
Edinburgh Live
2 days ago
- Edinburgh Live
Hero East Lothian couple rescued family swept out to sea in ferocious rip currents
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An East Lothian family were rescued by a kind-hearted couple and the RNLI after they were caught up in strong rip currents off the east coast. Three members of a family were swept out to sea after visiting Tyninghame beach on Saturday May 24 2025. Dunbar Lifeboat Station's volunteer crew had to spring into action and provided medical assistance to a man, his partner and her 12-year-old daughter, who had to be rescued during the incident. The man had to be airlifted to hospital but all three made a full recovery after the terrifying incident. The RNLI said if it had not been for the quick actions of another family there could have been a tragic outcome. Luckily Sean, 46, and Emma Bowman, 36, and their three children, Aaron, 10, Harvey, eight and five-year-old Sofia, from Dunbar, were also visiting Tyninghame beach on the same day. Sean swam in and had to make the difficult decision to save the girl while her mum and step-dad struggled to stay afloat, his partner Emma Picken called 999 and helped get a nearby surfer to rescue the other two. Sean said: "I'm so glad they were all okay. If it had been an hour earlier – with no one else around – the whole family might have been swept out there and it could have been an absolute disaster." Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox The other couple and girl were already in the water when their son Aaron had gone into swim not far from them. Emma said: 'Although it was warm, it was windy that day and the waves were quite high.' After about an hour, Sean noticed the adults had moved up the beach with their two other children but the 12-year-old girl remained in the water. Sean said: 'I had to get Aaron out because it was cold and I didn't want him to freeze. "Then the girl started screaming really loudly and I could see she was now quite far out, about 60 metres. The mum and dad ran down and said they weren't good swimmers. That's when I swam to get the girl. I could feel the pull of the rip but back home in South Africa we are taught to swim left or right, not straight out, so I swam in a diagonal to reach her. The mum swam as well but she got caught." (Image: RNLI) Emma witnessed Sean pulling the girl from the water but said at this point the dad had went in to try and get the mum but they were now drifting out in the rip tide. Sean continued: "I grabbed the girl by the arms and put her up on my shoulders and we just swam back and I dropped her off. I went back in but by that stage they were right by the back breakers about 150 metres out." While HM Coastguard paged for a Dunbar RNLI lifeboat and alerted the Scottish Ambulance Service and the police, Sean tried to take a body board to help the couple stay afloat. Sean added: "I swam out as far as I could and shouted to them to try and catch the board but the tide caught it and sent it into the rocks. "I stayed in the water but not too deep to make sure they were ok. They were now so far out it was hard to see them. We could just see their heads bobbing up and down. I have never seen waves that big since coming to Dunbar." Emma was alerted to a surfer and his daughter further down the beach. With Sean's guidance, he managed to reach the couple on his board. Sean said: "He couldn't see them at first. I had to point him in the right direction but he managed to reach them. The woman did well to keep the man afloat, as I think he was struggling, and she and the surfer managed to get him on the board. They got to shore as the coastguard and lifeboat arrived, then the helicopter and the ambulance came." Dunbar RNLI volunteers treated the casualties before passing the man to the helicopter medics and the woman and daughter into the care of the ambulance crew. On the route to Tyninghame Beach are water safety signs warning of dangers, including rip currents, but Emma – who owns a hair salon – and Sean, who runs a recruitment company, said people need to be more aware of the risks involved with swimming on beaches without lifeguards. Emma said: "There is a sign at the car park but it is easy to miss. I feel there needs to be more at the beach. At least this was at the weekend when there were people there. If that had been a week day when it is quieter there might not have been anybody there to save them. I couldn't even hear the girl screaming because it was so windy but Sean did." (Image: RNLI) Sean added: "I don't think people should swim there, if there's a constant rip tide. If you're not a strong swimmer it will just pull you." Emma said the incident has been a powerful lesson for her children: "It's been a great learning experience for Aaron and Harvey that you can't just go and swim thinking you are going to be safe. What was also good for Aaron – because he loves the lifeboats – was to see it all unfold and to see that the RNLI is there and responsive and there are people there to help." The RNLI has urged people to beware of strong rip currents after recent incidents at East Lothian beaches. Last weekend (Sunday August 3) people reported a strong rip current at Seacliff and previously Coast to Coast Surf School warned of dangers at Belhaven. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. Ray Cunningham, RNLI Water Safety Education Manager, said: "Rip Currents are an incredibly dangerous occurrence that can catch out even the most experienced water user and they can pop up all across the UK. You can sometimes spot a rip by seeing where water may be a little calmer where waves are or by spotting the water rushing out in a narrow channel. "We would recommend checking out a lifeguarded beach (the nearest to Dunbar is Coldingham Bay) if you can and swim between the flags when you enter the water as this is the safest place to swim. "If you find yourself caught in a rip the first thing to remember is don't panic, remember the RNLI's FLOAT message to keep your head above water. If on a lifeguarded beach you can raise your arms and try to call for help. "Once you have caught your breath, you can swim parallel to the shore (sideways) which should allow you to escape the outward pull of the rip current as they are generally quite narrow. Once you are out of the rip you can then make your way back to shore. "If you see someone caught in a rip, we don't recommend going in to rescue them, you are putting yourself at risk. Instead dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard and tell them where you are, how many people are in trouble and the situation."
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
Family swept out to sea at Scots beach rescued by quick-thinking couple
Sean Bowman swam out to save the 12-year-old and her parents, while his partner Emma Picken alerted emergency services. A couple jumped into action to help rescue a family who were swept out to sea at a Scots beach. Sean Bowman, 46, was at Tyninghame Beach in East Lothian with his partner and their three children on May 24, when he spotted a 12-year-old girl in difficulty in the water around 60 metres from the shore. Her mum and dad had swam out to attempt to save her, but were caught in a dangerous rip current. Sean, who lives in Dunbar, said: "The girl started screaming really loudly and I could see she was now quite far out, about 60 metres. The mum and dad ran down and said they weren't good swimmers. "That's when I swam to get the girl. I could feel the pull of the rip but back home in South Africa we are taught to swim left or right, not straight out, so I swam in a diagonal to reach her. The mum swam as well but she got caught.'" Sean jumped in while his partner Emma Picken, 38, called emergency services and was alerted to a nearby surfer, who helped Sean get the family to safety. Emma said: "Sean thought he could help the girl more so pulled her back out of the water and shouted for me to call the coastguard. At that point the dad went in to try and get the mum. They were now drifting out in the rip tide." Sean added: "I grabbed the girl by the arms and put her up on my shoulders and we just swam back and I dropped her off. I went back in but by that stage they were right by the back breakers about 150 metres out." Coastguard responders called for an RNLI lifeboat from Dunbar, and alerted the police and ambulance service. Sean tried to take a body board to help the couple stay afloat. He said: "I swam out as far as I could and shouted to them to try and catch the board but the tide caught it and sent it into the rocks. "I stayed in the water but not too deep to make sure they were ok. They were now so far out it was hard to see them. "We could just see their heads bobbing up and down. I have never seen waves that big since coming to Dunbar." When the surfer joined in the rescue efforts, he assisted him in locating the family. He added: "He couldn't see them at first. I had to point him in the right direction but he managed to reach them. "The woman did well to keep the man afloat, as I think he was struggling, and she and the surfer managed to get him on the board. They got to shore as the coastguard and lifeboat arrived, then the helicopter and the ambulance came." The family were assisted by the volunteer lifeboat crew before being passed into the care of emergency responders. The man was airlifted to hospital, and the woman and girl were treated by paramedics, with all three making a full recovery. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The couple said people need to be more aware of the risks involved with swimming on beaches without lifeguards. Emma said: "There is a sign at the car park but it is easy to miss. I feel there needs to be more at the beach. At least this was at the weekend when there were people there. "If that had been a week day when it is quieter there might not have been anybody there to save them. I couldn't even hear the girl screaming because it was so windy but Sean did." Sean added: "I don't think people should swim there, if there's a constant rip tide. If you're not a strong swimmer it will just pull you." Ray Cunningham, RNLI Water Safety Education Manager, said: "Rip Currents are an incredibly dangerous occurrence that can catch out even the most experienced water user and they can pop up all across the UK. "You can sometimes spot a rip by seeing where water may be a little calmer where waves are or by spotting the water rushing out in a narrow channel. We would recommend checking out a lifeguarded beach if you can and swim between the flags when you enter the water as this is the safest place to swim. "If you find yourself caught in a rip the first thing to remember is don't panic, remember the RNLI's FLOAT message to keep your head above water. If on a lifeguarded beach you can raise your arms and try to call for help. "Once you have caught your breath, you can swim parallel to the shore (sideways) which should allow you to escape the outward pull of the rip current as they are generally quite narrow. Once you are out of the rip you can then make your way back to shore. "If you see someone caught in a rip, we don't recommend going in to rescue them, you are putting yourself at risk. Instead dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard and tell them where you are, how many people are in trouble and the situation."
