The Looe dog walk that ended with a lifeboat launch

You watch the tide slip out, wander a little further round the rocks than you meant to, then turn back to find the way you came has quietly vanished under the water. It is one of the oldest traps on the Cornish coast, and last Sunday afternoon it caught out a woman walking her dog near Looe.

A shout between Samphire and Portnadler

At 17:10 on Sunday 13 September, Looe RNLI Lifeboat Station’s volunteer crew launched the charity’s D Class inshore lifeboat, Ollie Naismith II, after the woman contacted HM Coastguard to say she had been cut off by the incoming tide while walking between Samphire and Portnadler beaches.

The crew found her uninjured when they arrived on scene, and gave her advice on a safe route off the beach.

📷D-872 D Class track, 13 September 2026. Courtesy of marinetraffic.com

How to avoid getting caught out by the tide

RNLI safety advice is to always check local tide times and identify every safe exit route before stepping onto a beach or coastal path, so there is no risk of being trapped by rising water.

Explore the beaches as the tide goes out, and plan to head back well before it turns to come in. Keep an eye on your surroundings as you go too, because sometimes the safest way off a beach is behind you, simply retracing the route you walked in on.

📷Stock image, preparing to launch the D Class inshore lifeboat Ollie Naismith II. Credit: RNLI Looe