BASE jumper sparks two-hour Basset Cove search and rescue response

What started as a frantic emergency call about someone going over the cliffs at Basset Cove turned out to be something entirely different.

At around 5pm on Thursday 7th May, Portreath Coastguard Rescue Team were called out after reports came in of a person jumping from the cliffs at Basset Cove, on the north Cornwall coast between Portreath and Hayle.

A major multi-agency response

Given the seriousness of what had been reported, a full-scale response was launched. St Ives Lifeboat was sent to the scene, along with Coastguard Rescue Helicopter R924, St Agnes Coastguard Search & Rescue Team and police units.

Crews spent roughly two hours combing the area, with searches across the cliffs, the beach and the water below.

The twist

As teams were pulling together to plan the next stage of the search, police enquiries turned up something nobody had been expecting. The person who had gone over the cliff was a BASE jumper. They had jumped deliberately, deployed their parachute and left the beach by other means well before the emergency call went in.

With no sign of anyone in difficulty, all units were stood down at around 7.15pm and returned to their stations.

A reminder from the Coastguard

Portreath Coastguard Rescue Team said while the incident had a positive outcome, it shows the scale of response that can be triggered by reports of people going into the sea or over cliffs.

The team is asking anyone planning coastal sports such as climbing, BASE jumping or paragliding to let HM Coastguard know in advance where possible. A quick heads-up can prevent unnecessary searches and help emergency services focus on genuine incidents.

If you ever see someone in difficulty at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.