Extremely busy day for Tenby’s lifeboats, with eight shouts in six hours.

The first shout of the day came just after 1pm, when the Haydn Miller was tasked to assist two paddle boarders in difficulty off Stackpole Head.

As the volunteer crew were making their way to the area, a passing vessel responded to the coastguard’s broadcast and picked all persons up and conveyed them back to Stackpole Quay.

The second call of the day came shortly after the first, at 1:29pm, when a swimmer was reported to be in difficulty off Broadhaven South.

As the Haydn Miller was making way, news came through that the swimmer had made it ashore unaided, so the lifeboat was stood down to return to station.

The third call of the day came less than an hour later, at 2:28pm – when the coastguard received a report of three persons having been washed off the rocks at Manorbier.

As the lifeboat was arriving on scene, the swimmers were just making it to shore and no longer in need of assistance.

The fourth call was just 45 minutes later and again at Manorbier, where reports came in that several swimmers were caught in a rip.

The volunteer crew were once again, quickly on the water, but within minutes, they were stood down after local surfers managed to rescue the swimmers and return them to the beach.

Call number five and the first for the inshore lifeboat, came just after 4pm, when the crew were tasked to search for a missing five-year-old child last seen in the water off the Castle Beach.

As the lifeboat was launching, the child was located safe and well.

The inshore lifeboat’s second job of the day was at 4:22pm after a report of a person in difficulty off St Catherine’s Island Tenby,

As the volunteer crew were arriving on scene, it was confirmed that the person had made it ashore safely.

At 6:05pm, the seventh job of the day arrived. This time the, all-weather lifeboat was tasked to provide casualty care to an injured person on Manorbier beach.

As the boat was nearing the scene, it was reported that the casualty had been conveyed to hospital.

The eight and final call of the day came at 6.12pm, when the all-weather lifeboat was tasked to assist Angle all-weather lifeboat, Coastguard rescue helicopter 187 and Tenby, St Govans and Dale coastguard rescue teams in a search for a Personal Locater Beacon (PLB) which was thought to have been activated somewhere in the Milford Haven area.

The volunteer crew were once again quickly on the water and were initially tasked to search St Govan’s shoals area, along with the helicopter, whilst Angle lifeboat searched the Milford Haven waterway with the coastguard rescue teams.

The helicopter soon located the upturned hull of a vessel, with 3 persons in the water close by.

The lifeboat made best speed to the position and immediately put two crew members in the water to assist with the extraction of the casualties onto the lifeboat. Following a medical assessment, one of the casualties was air lifted to hospital, whilst the other two remained on the lifeboat, where they were warmed up and returned to Milford Haven and met by paramedics.

The lifeboat then returned to station for the final time, arriving at 9:45pm.

This final rescue is a good example of why it is important to have the correct equipment with you when going to sea and keeping that equipment in good working order, as it could save your life. You should always let somebody know where you are going and what time you expect to return. Have lifejackets for each person aboard the boat and also carry a means of contacting the Coastguard should you require assistance. A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), such as the one these casualties had are great for alerting the Coastguard and also providing a position to assist in rescue.

The RNLI website also has great safety tips, including how to 'Float to live' should you find yourself in difficulty in the water.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.