Abersoch RNLI paged following a report of two missing teenagers.
HM Coastguard paged the volunteer crew at 5.27pm on Sunday 27 July after receiving a call from a concerned parent reporting two teenagers, one on a kayak and the other on a paddleboard, missing for over two hours.
The ‘Peter & Ann Setten’ Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat was launched at 5.41pm in a light breeze and slight sea state with a westerly wind. The teenagers had set off from Abersoch main beach earlier in the afternoon with their kayak and paddleboard and their mother had not been able to locate them for around two hours.
The two teenage casualties were quickly found safe and well close by just out of sight of the main beach below the South Caernarfonshire Yacht Club. The lifeboat escorted them back to the yacht club jetty where they were handed over to their mother at 5.55pm.
Martin Turtle, Abersoch RNLI volunteer Launch Authority, said ‘Their parent did the right thing by raising the alarm with the coastguard’. He added, ‘It is important to tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to be back whenever you are heading out on the water and always have a means of calling for help with you. Check the tides and avoid offshore winds because they can tire you very quickly when trying to return to the shore’.
The crew returned to the lifeboat station at 6.00pm where the lifeboat was washed down, refuelled and left ready for service by the volunteer shore crew.
If you do get into difficulty, or spot someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
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.