Inshore lifeboat George Bearman II launched at 5.47pm on 11 July to two young ladies who were cut off by the tide, east of Orcombe Point. The casualties who were on holiday from Poland, messaged the Exmouth RNLI Facebook page because they were unsure what to do.
One of the Admins, Mechanic Andy Stott (on duty at Ilfracombe lifeboat station), advised them that high tide was imminent and to call 999 for the Coastguard if they were in danger and not attempt to climb cliffs. Pagers were activated by the UK Coastguard soon after this reply and Crew volunteers were on scene within three minutes. The casualties were brought back to station and safety advice was given.
One of the ladies messaged the Facebook page to thank the volunteers, just before the England versus Croatia World Cup semi-final football match:
‘It’s a really tricky place, when we noticed that water level was getting higher quickly, it was too late to go back. We’re so happy we didn’t have to wait for low water. Thank you so much, have a nice evening and hope there won’t be more emergency calls today!’
Andy Stott advised:
‘If you find yourself or see someone you think is in danger, please call 999 or 112 immediately. If you’re going for a walk along the beach, please check tide times by using a phone app, speaking to the RNLI Lifeguards or picking up a tide table from our shop. The ladies were lucky our Facebook Admins were close to their phones this afternoon – this is not a reliable method of calling for help, as sometimes messages aren’t read immediately.’
