Lifeboat crews are on call 24/7 – which can mean launching in pitch-black darkness to reach someone in trouble. Watch our video to see how RNLI crews tackle this challenge: 

Cardigan: Kayakers in trouble

First up, we saw the Cardigan crew launch to rescue two kayakers who had got into trouble.

Fighting rough sea conditions, the crew soon found the kayakers stranded on rocks at the base of a cliff, without their kayaks. In the surging waves, the volunteers helped the two men into the lifeboat and returned them safely to shore. 

Larne: Float to Live

We saw Larne RNLI volunteers launch both of their lifeboats after a kayaker was reported to be in the water.

Using flares to illuminate the dark night, the crew started a search and soon found the kayaker floating on his back – he may have been in the water for up to an hour and was very cold. Concerned about hypothermia, the volunteers began first aid and tried to warm the kayaker up until an ambulance arrived to take him to hospital. 

Flint: A stranded whale 

Next, we saw the volunteers at Flint tasked to help a fin whale stranded in the Dee Estuary. 

The RNLI volunteers worked with local fishermen to secure the area and stayed to help marine medics keep the whale wet and comfortable until it could float off the bank on high tide. 

Torbay: On the rocks 

In Torbay, the RNLI volunteers launched after a speedboat – with a father and teenage daughter onboard – had lost power and got stuck in a narrow gulley between two large rocks.

The waters were too shallow on one side of the boat, so the crew had to approach it from the other side – which was exposed to strong winds and large rolling swells. 

The crew then began the tricky task of getting the father and daughter onto the lifeboat. Shocked but safe, the two boaters were then taken ashore.