999 call out to kayakers and surfer off Northumberland coast

Howick Coastguard Rescue Team was alerted just before 11am today, Thursday, August 27, to a report three boys in kayaks were in difficulty off Beadnell.

When the team arrived, they found the trio, a group of men, had not been in trouble, but did have floatation devices, which means they would have been able to call for help if they needed it.

A spokesperson for the team said: “The informant who called 999 did exactly the right thing by calling when they perceived someone was in danger.

“We would always prefer call-outs to people who end up being fit and well than someone not call and it not have a happy outcome.”

The incident followed a call yesterday, just before 3pm, when the team, the Seahouses team and Craster RNLI were called when a surfer got into difficulties off Embleton Bay.

The man, who had been in the water for 90 minutes and had been carried a mile offshore by the currents and tide, was pulled from the sea by the lifeboat.

It met the Coastguard at Low Newton for treatment and he was then taken to the Ship Inn to warm up, with advice given about the effects of secondary drowning, as he had swallowed sea water.

He had not been wearing a personal flotation device and had let go of his board, fearing it was carrying him further out to sea, with the Coastguard advising people to keep hold of them to make so they are easier to spot.

The spokesperson added: “The casualty was suffering from the effects of hypothermia and exhaustion so the team gently warmed the casualty until his body temperature had risen to a normal level.

"He was fortunate that people on the shore spotted he was in difficulty and Humber Coastguard received multiple 999 calls alerting them to the incident.

“Had he not been seen, and grown more exhausted, this could have been the difference between life and death.”

They added their thanks to the pub for the room and the hot drink to help him recover.

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