Coastguard Races to Rescue for Jetskier

By Daniel Thomson

A jetskier was rescued yesterday after breaking down in rough seas off the Northumberland coast.

The man was at Blyth Harbour with another jetskier when his engine failed at about 12.55pm. His friend came to his aid, but his jetski also broke down.

The second man decided to swim to shore through the icy water where he rang the coastguard for help.

Blyth RNLI, Coastguard and Independent Lifeboat were dispatched and rescued the jetskier who had been in the freezing water for about 20 minutes.

The jetskis were then towed back to shore. Neither men were hurt during the incident and did not need hospital treatment.

A Humber Coastguard spokesman said there had been extremely severe winds out at sea, which had caused rough conditions.

He said: “The incident happened when two jetskis broke down off Blyth Harbour. One of the men swam to shore and rang the coastguard.

“The water was rather cold and the other man was in the water for about 20 minutes. The wind was also very strong, but because it was coming from the west the harbour was deceptively calm.

“However, further out at sea we had forecasts of winds reaching almost hurricane levels earlier in the day and this would have caused problems for anyone who strayed out too far from land.

“The lifeboat retrieved the man from the water and towed the jetskis back to shore.”

The coastguard also warned against “wave-dodging” which is when people attempt to play “chicken” with waves on piers, sometimes to tragic effect.

He said: “We’ve had a number of incidents of wave-dodging up and down the coast and would urge people not to do it. Adults and children can easily be swept off their feet and it doesn’t even take a huge wave to do it.

“In this weather, a wave can easily become what we refer to as a high wave, which is capable of dragging an adult into the sea.

“We want people to enjoy the sea, but anyone who does this is putting themselves and the rescue services at risk.”

Last year, a 13-year-old boy from Sunderland died after being swept into the North Sea during a game of wave-dodging with friends.

Mark Langton, [correct] died in April on the first day of the Easter school break, after he was caught by a wave and quickly carried 200 yards into deeper water, where he was battered against rocks, at a sea-break off the coast of Hendon, Sunderland.

(c) 2007 The Journal – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.