Little and Broad Haven Lifeboat launched to paddleboarders in difficulty

Volunteer crew members from Little and Broad Haven RNLI were paged at 17:50 on Saturday 3rd May to a distress call from two causalities that had been blown out to sea on a paddleboard from Newgale.

A Coastguard team from Broad Haven were also tasked to assist and as it was a sunny bank holiday weekend they provided vital assistance with communications between the lifeboat and the Coastguard Operations Centre in Milford Haven. There was a fresh northerly wind blowing and initial reports were that the paddleboarders in distress were located near Nolton Haven.

There was no sign of the casualties in this initial search area and further information was provided that they had been blown further south and were more likely to be nearer Druidston. The crew then quickly located the casualties and were able to bring them aboard to provide them with lifejackets and a survival blanket to provide warmth. The paddleboard was also deflated and recovered and the casualties were taken back to Newgale where they were met by the Coastguard team from Broad Haven.

Lifeboat Helm Ben Rudder said of the rescue ‘When I was told the callout was towards Newgale beach, I knew it was going to be an uncomfortable trip for myself and crew, due to the strong North Easterly winds making the bay quite choppy. We were initially given a casualty position off Newgale so we headed there first. We could not locate the 2 casualties in this area but Milford Haven coastguard was able to give us an updated location as they could track them through their 999 call.

Even with this information plotted on our chart-plotter, we did not spot them until we were fairly close. This was due to them wearing black clothing and not being able to standup on the small SUP board they were sharing. As a crew I think we were quite surprised just how far out to sea they had drifted, and the lack of any personal flotation devices. However I am in no doubt that the fact they had a mobile phone with them saved their lives.’

Little and Broad Haven Lifeboat Operations Manager Ian Thomas said ‘On this occasion these two young people were very lucky to have been recovered from what could have been a tragic situation. They were ill prepared for the conditions, wearing very basic clothing, which offered very little protection from the elements. They were fortunate that they had taken a mobile phone with them & were able to contact the Coastguard directly, to raise the alarm. Their phone signal enabled the Coastguard to provide our lifeboat with their updated positions, in order to locate them in the choppy sea - without this the search could have become extremely protracted, with a strong possibility that either, or both of the casualties could have come off the board ending up in the water & potentially separated , drifting apart in the deteriorating conditions.

The liaison and commitment of the Coastguard & the RNLI on the day, no doubt served to ensure that they were successfully recovered to safety in minimal time, the outcome could have been very different’.

The boat returned to station at 19:33 and was refuelled and readied for service, with the assistance of the volunteer shore crew.

15 May 2025