Paddleboarder drifts offshore near Newquay in afternoon callout

An afternoon paddle off West Pentire took a turn on Tuesday when a paddleboarder started drifting away from the shore. What followed was a fast, four-way response, with a lifeboat, a coastguard rescue team, an ambulance crew and beach lifeguards all sent to the same spot on the water.

A four-way response off West Pentire

At 3.24pm on Tuesday 11 August, Newquay Coastguard Rescue Team were tasked to reports of a paddleboarder who had drifted offshore near West Pentire. It was the team’s 104th callout of the year.

They were not sent alone. South Western Ambulance Service, Newquay RNLI and Holywell Bay Lifeguards were all tasked to the same incident, the kind of combined turnout a drifting paddleboarder tends to trigger on a busy summer afternoon.

Picked up and put ashore at Polly Joke

The lifeboat reached the paddleboarder and took them aboard. The casualty was checked over for injuries, then landed safely back on Polly Joke Beach.

It was a reassuring end to a call that crews and lifeguards around Newquay answer plenty of through the season, when warm weather and light winds tempt more people onto the water.

What to do if you see someone in trouble

The coastguard used the callout to repeat one simple piece of advice for anyone heading to the coast this summer. If you see someone in difficulty along the coast, dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.

📷Credit: Newquay Coastguard Search & Rescue Team