A boy has been rescued from rough seas near Brighton Marina after his “amazing” 12-year-old friend dialled 999 and gave a clear and calm report to the emergency services.
The dramatic rescue late this afternoon (Saturday 8 June) was carried out by the RNLI Brighton lifeboat crew.
A Brighton and Hove City Council lifeguard went to his aid despite the danger.
The lifeboat crew was on the scene within minutes and brought both the boy and lifeguard safely ashore.
Sussex Police said: “An inshore lifeboat was launched to rescue a boy who was struggling in rough seas near Brighton Marina.
“The alarm was raised at 4.52pm on Saturday (8 June) by friends of the 13-year-old who had been unable to assist him when he got into difficulty off the beach close to the Marina.
“He was recovered from the water about 15 minutes later.
“Police have paid tribute to his 12-year-old friend whose clear and calm reports on the telephone to an emergency call taker they described as ‘amazing’ and probably life-saving.
“While winds are expected to drop over the next 24 hours, the sea is likely to remain rough for some time and police have warned of the dangers of entering the water, even for a paddle.”
Chief Inspector Roy Hodder said: “It is very easy for your feet to be swept from under you and you can be dragged into deep water and some way offshore in next to no time.
“Please take care and also make sure that, even though it all looks very exciting, youngsters are fully aware of the dangers.
“This young lad was lucky and a lot of the credit for his safe rescue must go to his friend who showed remarkable calm on the phone to us and whose amazing clarity of information enabled his swift recovery from the water by the RNLI team.”
Team Paged to report of a 12year old male in difficulties in the water in Brighton. @BrightonHoveCC deployed a lifeguard who managed to reach the 12 year old and stabilised him until the arrival of @RNLIBrighton, both recovered in horrendous conditions to safety. #teamwork— Shoreham Coastguard (@ShorehamCG) June 8, 2019
Incredible team work from ourselves @sussex_police, @SECAmbulance, @ShorehamCG, @BrightonHoveCC saw two lives saved today in challenging conditions #teamwork #trainonesavemany— Brighton Lifeboat (@RNLIBrighton) June 8, 2019
