Person rescued after being cut off by the tide in East Sussex
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The incident happened just before 5pm on Sunday, June 25, with Newhaven's all-weather lifeboat also being tasked to the incident.
The casuality, who had been trying to make their way from Holywell to Birling Gap, was found by the Eastbourne crew on its D-class lifeboat
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Hide AdAn RNLI spokesperson said: “Due to the location of the casualty, the crew could only get close enough to hold in the surf and put a crew member ashore to assist the casualty.
"As there were only eight feet of beach left at the location, and for the casualty's safety, they were escorted onto the inshore lifeboat and taken back to Eastbourne before being passed to waiting coastguard rescue teams for further care.”
It was a busy weekend for Eastbourne’s RNLI crew with the first callout coming on Saturday, June 24, as the group was tasked to assist local coastguard teams and provide cover if needed. Once that tasking was complete, the crew were re-tasked to assist with a search. During the search they were diverted to a medical incident aboard a dive boat.
The spokesperson added: “One of the people on board was feeling unwell and a mayday had been called by the crew aboard the dive boat. Coastguard Helicopter Rescue 175 arrived on scene before the Diamond Jubilee, and the dive boat moved away from the area for the safety of divers in the water whilst the casualty was winched aboard.
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Hide Ad"The crew aboard the Diamond Jubilee took over as a safety vessel for the divers as they were in a fairly busy shipping area. Once the dive boat returned to the area the crew on the all-weather boat were stood down and returned to station.”
The final tasking of Saturday was for the D-class inshore lifeboat as it was called to reports of three kayakers needing assistance off Cooden Beach – although two minutes after launching they were stood down as the group needing help had made their own way to the shore.