Lucky escape for four young paddleboarders blown out to sea off the Moray coast near Cullen
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A GROUP of young paddleboarders have had a lucky escape after being blown out to sea.
On Saturday at 3.45pm Buckie RNLI were tasked to launch by Aberdeen Coastguard following a report of two paddle-boarders in the waters off of Cullen Bay
As Buckie’s all-weather lifeboat launched the situation quickly changed and the lifeboat crew were now searching for four casualties near local landmark, Bow Fiddle Rock.
Heading into strong south-easterly winds, gusting at 40 knots, the crew knew this shout was time critical.
RNLI lifeboat William Blannin arrived on scene in around ten minutes and the crew quickly located the first two youngsters who had luckily managed to stay on their paddleboard. The girls were pulled to safety and the search continued for the remaining pair who were believed to be in the water.
After only a few minutes the second pair were spotted, and the boat made pace to their location, successfully recovering two very cold and very relieved youngsters.
Having been in the cold water for over 20 minutes wearing only wetsuits, the casualties were assessed and warmed up by the crew’s casualty carers before being checked over at the lifeboat station by waiting Scottish Ambulance crews. Thankfully all four casualties were given the all clear and sent home safely to their waiting families.
Anne Scott, Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘The RNLI urges people to check the weather forecast carefully before venturing out on the water, especially when paddle boarding. Avoid offshore winds as you can easily be blown out to sea very quickly and offshore winds will tire you quickly when trying to return to shore. Always wear a personal floatation device and suitable clothing for the forecasted conditions and always carry a means of calling for help.’
