Brighton RNLI volunteers rescued two paddleboarders who had been blown about a mile out to sea by strong northerly winds last week.
The pair – first-time paddleboarders from Hove – had ventured out west of the West Pier before breakfast, without lifejackets or prior experience.
The man and woman found themselves rapidly drifting out to sea on a single paddleboard and were unable to return to shore.
Brighton’s inshore lifeboat launched swiftly and reached the casualties with urgency. On arrival, the helm was changed, and the crew circled the casualties before safely bringing them and their equipment aboard. A request for an ambulance was made due to concerns over shock.
The man appeared to be in possible shock on arrival at Brighton Lifeboat Station and both paddleboarders were wrapped in blankets and given water and warm drinks in the kit room.
An ambulance crew arrived within 10 minutes and took the casualties to hospital for further checks.
Lifeboat Operations Manager Charlie Dannreuther said: “This was a very serious situation that could have ended very differently. With strong offshore winds and no lifejackets, these paddleboarders were incredibly lucky.
“We’re proud of our crew’s fast response and the care given to the casualties once safely ashore.”
The paddleboard was recovered and secured at the lifeboat house.
Idiots like that should be charged for their rescue.
They’ll probably make a donation when they’ve recovered you tosser you’ve never made a mistake then ? I’m sure they didn’t set out to drown themselves luckily , it all ended well thanks to the RNLI
Pleased it all ended well, No doubt the RNLI would have given them some information on sea state and wind etc for the future..