Three Hours Cut Off: Fowey RNLI Rescue at Little Lantic Beach

A jet ski drop-off on a Cornish beach turned into a three hour wait and a 999 call once the tide had them trapped.

On Sunday 28 June, Falmouth Coastguard tasked Fowey RNLI to launch and rescue a mother and her thirteen year old son who had been cut off by the tide at Little Lantic beach.

How they ended up stranded

The pair had arrived at the beach earlier that afternoon with the father, travelling by jet ski. The sea swell and waves made it feel unsafe for all three to leave together, so the father stayed back. The plan was for him to moor the jet ski and meet the mother and son at the car park above Lantic Bay.

That plan did not survive the tide. The water rose and the waves built, and the mother and son found they could not reach the main beach. After three hours on the sand they were getting increasingly cold. The mother called 999 and asked the coastguard for help.

The rescue

Fowey’s volunteer crew launched their D class inshore lifeboat at 8:25 and were on scene ten minutes later at 8:35. The beach landing was tricky, but the crew managed it and brought both casualties aboard.

Getting them back ashore was the next problem. The surge and waves on the main beach made a landing there too dangerous to attempt, so the crew took the mother and son round to Polruan pontoon instead. There they were reunited with the father.

📷Fowey's D class lifeboat on the way to Little Lantic - Credit: Fowey RNLI