Hunstanton RNLI inshore lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and Skegness RNLI Shannon all-weather lifeboat
Joel and April Grunnill launched just after 10.30am.
They were tasked by HM Coastguard, which had received a call stating a kitesurfer had been sighted in difficulty off Heacham.
The vessels were also joined by a Coastguard aircraft, which diverted from an operation near Cromer to perform a sweep of the area.
Volunteer RNLI crews searched an area of The Wash off Hunstanton and Heacham beaches until being stood down at 1pm after nothing was found.
Both vessels then returned to their respective stations to be washed down and re-fueled ready for service.
It later emerged that the call was a false alarm made with good intent.
Notes to editor
Hunstanton RNLI operates an inshore B Class lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and is also one of just four stations around our coast which operates a search and rescue hovercraft, the
Hunstanton Flyer.
Skegness RNLI operates an all-weather Shannon class lifeboat the Joel and April Grunnill and an inshore D class lifeboat
The Holland Family.
Like more than 200 stations around the coast of the UK and Ireland, the lifesaving work of their volunteers is funded entirely by donations and legacies.
RNLI media contacts
For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219 or Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Communications Manager, North East and East on 07824 518641.
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 142,700 lives.
