Earlier this afternoon Llandudno’s RNLI inshore lifeboat was launched for service. This was following a report by Graham Heritage the Lifeboat Coxswain, that a group of paddle boarders were in jeopardy within a mile of the lifeboat station.

A volunteer crew of three were required to go to the assistance of the paddle boarders who were in difficulty due to a strong offshore wind and tide pushing their boards out to sea, making it difficult to return to shore.

One of the group did manage to paddle back to shore, whilst three boarders, two of which were in the water, clinging on to their inflatable boards, managed to get onto “Half Tide Rock” at the base of the Little Orme where they waited for rescue.

Launching from the lifeboat station, the volunteer crew soon reached the casualties. After taking them off the almost submerged rock, they proceeded back to the station, placing them in the care of the waiting shore crew.

The lifeboat then returned back to sea to retrieve and secure the boards and abandoned equipment, which had now drifted almost half a mile to the east from where the casualties had been picked up.

RNLI Deputy Launch Authority Dan Jones MBE explained “this was a good and swift operation; we were able to successfully carry out our rescue whilst also following the strict procedures we have put in place throughout the Covid 19 situation. It was a good outcome to get the casualties back to the safety of the beach unharmed”.

The RNLI has provided safety guidance giving simple tips to improve your time paddle boarding. The advice includes avoiding offshore winds, which can quickly blow a paddleboard far out to sea, thus can make it extremely tiring and difficult to paddle back to shore.

https://rnli.org/safety/choose-your-activity/stand-up-paddle-boarding

Photograph: RNLI Llandudno.