A father and his 11-year-old daughter were rescued by Margate RNLI after being caught out by the tide and trying to wade to safety through freezing water
A father and his 11-year-old daughter were involved in a dramatic rescue by Margate RNLI after they were cut off by high tide.
The pair were stranded below the Captain Digby public house at Kingsgate and the Coastguard was alerted to the emergency around lunchtime on Saturday (3 February).
Both father and daughter were showing signs of the onset of hypothermia when they were rescued.
The father had initially waded through the water with his daughter on his shoulders in an attempt to get them to safety but had to retreat after spending up to 20 minutes up to his chest in the cold water.
Margate’s volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew and Margate’s Coastguard Rescue Team were tasked with the rescue.
Continues below…
Tower RNLI rescues a man after he falls 40 feet into the Thames
Tower RNLI came to the rescue of a man on Monday (8 January) after he fell into the Thames in…
Coast Guard rescues climber after he falls 30ft from cliff in Cornwall
The Coast Guard rescued a climber after his climbing partner reported his friend had fallen 30ft from a cliff near…
The father and daughter were recovered and taken on board the lifeboat back to the lifeboat station where they were assessed by an ambulance technician. According to the RNLI, after a warm shower and a change of clothing at the station the two individuals were released into the care of family members.
Ian Lowe, Deputy Launching Authority, Margate lifeboat said: “The man was well prepared being familiar with the area and taking the precaution of checking the tide times, but made an error with the timings, the tides are especially high this weekend. If you should find yourself cut off by the tide do not enter the water but stay in the relative safety of the bay and try to raise the alarm. Before setting out let people ashore know where you are going and your expected time of return”’
Margate RNLI publish tide times for the weekend on its Facebook page every Friday morning. The team at Margate urged everyone to take these into account when planning a beach walk and importantly, to call 999 if anyone spots individuals in trouble at sea or on the coastline.