Two rescued from the sea after early morning swim

Lymington’s volunteer crew swiftly assembled and launched the David Bradley inshore lifeboat just 8 minutes after the pagers had sounded.

‘When the shout goes out to a person in the water, we are acutely aware that every second counts’ commented helmsman Phil Baker.

The crew quickly located two casualties in the water and hauled them onboard the lifeboat. Both casualties were very cold and extremely grateful to be saved. They were put into thermal protective aids and neoprene hats and rushed back to Lymington where they were taken ashore to warm up in the boathouse.

It was discovered at this point, that one of the men had stripped off and gone for a swim. Seeing his friend in trouble, the other man had called 999 and then followed him into the water to help.

‘When your body hits cold water, “cold shock” can cause dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. We remind everyone that the water is still very cold at this time of year. The lad did the right thing dialling 999 but took a risk entering the water himself. In an emergency situation, the speed in which you call for help can mean the difference between life and death’ explained crewman Simon Naylor.

One swimmer was taken to hospital in an ambulance with suspected hypothermia and the other released and taken home by the police.

Crew: Phil Baker (helm), Simon Naylor, Gunnar Christensen and Simon Nuding.

RNLI Contact details:

Jo Styles, Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer, Lymington Lifeboat Station (07725) 640871 [email protected]

Hatti Mellor, Regional Communications Manager - SE & London (07724) 801305 [email protected]

For enquiries outside normal business hours contact the RNLI duty press officer on (01202) 336789

RNLI online: For more information on the RNLI please visit http://www.rnli.org/. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.

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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.

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