BBC Two shines a light on vital work of RNLI volunteers in Selsey

The seaside town appeared on last week’s episode of Saving Lives at Sea, a BBC Two documentary series which gives viewers a glimpse behind the scenes of the RNLI, and the volunteers who comprise it.

The episode follows the Selsey crew on a high-stakes callout to the coast, looking for a female swimmer lost at sea in the dead of night.

Called to the scene at 11pm, and learning that the casualty was trapped in nothing but her underwear, the team knew that time was of the essence.

"As soon as you hear that they’re not wearing a lot, it becomes really more urgent; because we know then there’s potential for hypothermia,” Ian, a driving instructor by day, told the cameras.

"The one thing I remember is that it was really really dark; it’s just worrying because you’re looking for a needle in a haystack. The worst case scenario is you’re looking for a needle in a haystack; that’s pretty awful for anyone.”

Unable to locate the missing swimmer by dark, the crew put up a parachute flare, which failed to turn up any sign of the missing swimmer. “Suddenly, you’re thinking ‘are we in the right place?’ ‘where can this casualty possibly be?’"

Not long afterwards, they found the woman floating at sea and pulled her aboard, but she appeared to be totally unresponsive. It took a few minutes but, much to the relief of the RNLI team, the casualty started breathing not long after the lifeboat beached.

Describing the relief, Ian adds: “We didn’t know what sort of condition she was in." It was almost no surprise then, given she'd been in the water for 45 minutes, when the casualty entered a state of shock upon regaining consciousness. Fortunately, the RNLI crew knew just how to handle the situation.

Wrapping her up in a blanket and a jacket, they gave her a lukewarm shower at the lifeboat station, and called the paramedics, who conducted a full check-over before sending the casualty home.

To watch the full episode, which also covers rescue efforts in Northern Ireland, West Kirby and Dorset, visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer