0:00:02 > 0:00:07We're an island nation, drawn to the sea that surrounds us.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09For many, it's a playground.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11For others, it's where we earn our living.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16But the sea is unpredictable.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Brace!
0:00:17 > 0:00:20It can change in an instant,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24and when accidents happen, they happen very fast.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27You're in cold water, you're not going to last long.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30SIREN WAILS There to save our lives
0:00:30 > 0:00:34is a volunteer army of 5,000 ordinary people...
0:00:34 > 0:00:37ready to leave their jobs, their families,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39and race to our rescue.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42One minute you're just an ordinary person,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45the next minute you're a lifeboat crew member.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50They're the last line of defence against the deadly water.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Wouldn't even like to think what would happen
0:00:52 > 0:00:55if there was no-one there.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57I was waiting for death,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59but a guardian angel came.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01To save someone's life is a privilege.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04You feel like you're doing the most important thing on Earth.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Thank you.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Over 200 years, the volunteers of the RNLI
0:01:10 > 0:01:14have saved the lives of more than 140,000 people.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20Brave lifeboatmen don't cry. Rubbish. I do.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Treating every call-out as a matter of life and death.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27That's what we all turn up for - to save people's lives.
0:01:27 > 0:01:34This programme contains some strong language.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40It's the first days of summer
0:01:40 > 0:01:43and Britain's beaches are starting to come to life.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47For the RNLI volunteers
0:01:47 > 0:01:51who cover all 11,000 miles of Britain's coastline,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54it's their busiest time of the year.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59There's no wonder so many people buy a boat
0:01:59 > 0:02:00and go to sea for the weekend.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03There's huge enjoyment to be had out there.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07There are people who are able to go to sea now
0:02:07 > 0:02:09that a generation ago wouldn't perhaps
0:02:09 > 0:02:11have had the means to do it.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15In my lifetime, it's hugely increased.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But of course, the more people that get in the sea,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20the more chance there is of something going wrong.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26SIREN BLARES
0:02:26 > 0:02:31It's 8:30pm and the summer weather has taken a turn for the worse.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33A call for help is coming in.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42The crew aim to launch within ten minutes
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Tonight, station manager Gareth sees his men off in eight.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Two casualties in a small boat are caught in the storm.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Well, things escalate quickly at sea.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59The slightest small thing goes wrong,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03all of a sudden it becomes a big thing and, you know,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05you need rescuing before you know it.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07With time of the essence,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10the lifeboat crew need the precise location of the stricken boat.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- ON RADIO:- '50 degrees.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26'22.577 minutes north. 10.62 minutes west.'
0:03:26 > 0:03:29So, about three miles southwest of the coffee stain.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Heading for the safety of Newquay Harbour,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36the sailors have taken a wrong turn,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40ending up in Perran Bay - an area renowned for shipwrecks.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Get alongside first. You've got plenty of time.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Now in the eye of the storm,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48their boat is in danger of being dashed against the rocks.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50'The boat that they were going to look after'
0:03:50 > 0:03:51was in a dodgy place.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54That meant that the lifeboat that was going to pick them up
0:03:54 > 0:03:56had to get into a dodgy place.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58It takes on a whole different perspective at night.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01For obvious reasons, you can see where you're going
0:04:01 > 0:04:04and you can't see what's coming to hit you.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16A smaller lifeboat from a neighbouring station
0:04:16 > 0:04:19has already located the sailors
0:04:19 > 0:04:21but doesn't have the engine power to pull them to safety
0:04:21 > 0:04:23against the mounting wind and waves.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43The two men on board have sailed this open-top antique wooden boat
0:04:43 > 0:04:45all the way from northern France.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50It was quite a surprise to see
0:04:50 > 0:04:52this very old looking
0:04:52 > 0:04:56wooden vessel, shrunk-down pirate galleon.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59Yeah. It was pretty interesting.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01'The boat was rolling around a lot.'
0:05:01 > 0:05:05I'm going to come on board with you. I'm going to take the tow.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09To secure the towline, Tim must now jump from boat to boat.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16You risk being washed off the boat,
0:05:16 > 0:05:17and the boat weighing six or seven tonnes
0:05:17 > 0:05:20sort of swinging around, no telling how that might end up.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I'm Tim.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35No.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38You've got no chance.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Though they have managed to make it all the way from Brittany,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44this is the two men's first-ever proper sea voyage.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52I'm not a sailor. I don't know how to sail. I just...
0:05:52 > 0:05:54I just tried.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- Ask them to ease off!- OK.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Maybe I'm a little bit naive, because I was not raised by the sea.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09It's a very strong experience because you see the waves
0:06:09 > 0:06:11and it's splashing in your face and you are, like, shaking.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Keep letting slack out.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15A trip like this, you start to realise
0:06:15 > 0:06:17what are important things in your life.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22- Yeah.- Ah.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Oh! Oh!
0:06:29 > 0:06:33'The majority of people that come to the coast recreationally'
0:06:33 > 0:06:36have no first-hand experience of the sea until they decide
0:06:36 > 0:06:39to buy a boat, go afloat, enjoy themselves,
0:06:39 > 0:06:40and why shouldn't they?
0:06:40 > 0:06:45'But a lot of them don't have the basic skills and knowledge
0:06:45 > 0:06:48'of the environment that they're in to be completely safe.'
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Back in Newquay Harbour with their boat barely still afloat,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00the rescued adventurers are returned to dry land.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Hi, guys. Come in. Just in time. John just got the kettle on.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09So, you survived. Yeah, quite a story.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11There was a bit of foolishness in it, but, you know,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13you've got to support the spirit of adventure.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18'If they hadn't shown up, what do you think would've happened?'
0:07:18 > 0:07:20To sink.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23When you're rescued,
0:07:23 > 0:07:30it's a shame because I could not do it myself,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34and it's happiness that you are saved.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37This was a relief.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Thank you.- You're welcome.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48In Newquay, volunteers have
0:07:48 > 0:07:52been running a lifeboat station since 1860.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Back then, it was a thriving fishing village.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00The fishing fleet is much reduced today,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03but Gareth, a third-generation fishmonger,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06is there to sell their wares.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09My ancestors were moulded by the sea.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Because their lives revolved around it.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14We have a really strong maritime tradition.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16I was taught it when I was at school
0:08:16 > 0:08:18that the new generation don't seem to be.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25But the sea is still a lure for some.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Having recovered from their ordeal,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31the two novice sailors have patched up the leaks in their boat
0:08:31 > 0:08:33and are preparing to set sail once more.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35That's it.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Hi there. OK?
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Gareth is at the harbour to wish them luck.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42How are repairs going?
0:08:55 > 0:08:56OK.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01We're driving this boat from North Brittany to Scotland,
0:09:01 > 0:09:06and there the boat will be dismantled to use the wood
0:09:06 > 0:09:08of the hull to make whisky barrels.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10Oh, right. OK. Yeah.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Then fill them with whisky, of course.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17The ship's hull has been stripped back to bare wood,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19so when it's turned into barrels
0:09:19 > 0:09:21the whisky will take on the flavour of the sea.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24We really wanted to make a relationship
0:09:24 > 0:09:26between the handcraft of making boats
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and the handcraft of making barrels.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32There is a connection between the sailors and the whisky.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Like this, it's soaked with the sea, the wind and the adventure.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39'Do you approve?'
0:09:39 > 0:09:41I'm not a whisky drinker.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46In her day, she was a lovely-looking boat.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50She had nice lines on her, but I think she's had her day.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57- You have the right charts?- Yeah. - Yeah, yeah. Of course.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01The artists are heading for the distant Hebridean island of Islay,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04nearly 500 miles away.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Bon voyage. Mark, bon voyage.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Thank you, Gareth. Have a beautiful time, and thank you for saving us.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Ah, you're welcome. No problem.
0:10:15 > 0:10:21Max and Mark face a 10-day voyage through big seas and wild weather
0:10:21 > 0:10:25where even the most experienced sailors have come unstuck.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27We don't judge people.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29We may offer them some safety advice, which, you know,
0:10:29 > 0:10:34is very often quite relevant, but we don't judge people, as such.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Good luck to them.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38I think they tried to go at about six,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40but they didn't actually get away until about seven.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Has ever RNLI station been notified that they're on their way?
0:10:45 > 0:10:47LAUGHTER
0:10:56 > 0:10:58As temperatures rise,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02it's not just Britain's coastal waters that draw the crowds.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Whenever you look at a map of England
0:11:04 > 0:11:08and especially of London, the first thing you see is the River Thames.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11It's quite a tourist attraction in its own right.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17A lot of people think the river is just a lovely gentle place
0:11:17 > 0:11:18to go in there and cool off.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Unfortunately, you don't see the dangers
0:11:21 > 0:11:22that's lurking just underneath.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27As the busiest lifeboat station in Britain,
0:11:27 > 0:11:32the 54-strong crew at Tower respond to over 500 emergencies every year.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Helmsman Stan has carried out over 2,000 rescues
0:11:39 > 0:11:42during his 35-year service with the RNLI.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48The Thames where we operate is just over 150 meters wide,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and it's quite vicious.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55You have to remember, the Thames isn't as wide as it used to be.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58It's been taken up a lot by the land.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Still got the same volume of water coming down
0:12:00 > 0:12:02but in a narrower space.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05And the mixture between the freshwater and saltwater
0:12:05 > 0:12:09in the Thames gives us a lot of different currents.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Many of us are oblivious to the dangers, though,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14and on a hot summer's day,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16the water can look deceptively tempting.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Hey, go! Go! Go!
0:12:19 > 0:12:20Oi-oi!
0:12:26 > 0:12:28If you think, "Oh, I can swim,"
0:12:28 > 0:12:31then you think, "Thames is just a bit of water.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33"I can jump in. I could swim over to there."
0:12:33 > 0:12:35But you can get caught out.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39It's very easy to underestimate what the river is capable of,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41particularly if you're being egged on by mates
0:12:41 > 0:12:43or there's some sort of bravado thing going on.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- Woohoo! - SHE SCREAMS
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I would never swim in it, and I'm a strong swimmer.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53And, so, people who find themselves in the Thames realise very quickly
0:12:53 > 0:12:57it looks innocent and in fact it's really not.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Yo, yo, yo. What is up, Shinwaris?
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Faisal Shinwari runs a popular YouTube channel.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04..I'm scared of heights,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07today I'm going to be jumping off London Tower Bridge.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08Let's go.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12He posts videos of himself carrying out stunts and dares.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Yeah, ten-second rule. Just go on. Do it.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Come on. For the Shinwaris. Come on.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Most people aren't aware that the first thing that you'll do
0:13:25 > 0:13:28is an involuntary gasp of air when you're underwater,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30and you might not come up again.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Yo, Faisal!
0:13:38 > 0:13:42So many people don't appreciate the strength of the tide
0:13:42 > 0:13:43and the coldness of the water
0:13:43 > 0:13:47and the shock going in and what that does to you physically.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Within a few minutes,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51your muscles have started to ache and you can't swim.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Are you OK?
0:13:54 > 0:13:56The river can flow really fast, up to five, six knots,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and no-one can swim against that - not even Olympic swimmers.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03If you can't swim to the shore
0:14:03 > 0:14:06and you can't swim to keep your head above water,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08you're going to drown, aren't you?
0:14:10 > 0:14:11Help!
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Oh, shit. I think someone needs to go down there.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17- Help! - PHONE RINGS
0:14:20 > 0:14:24We have to be away from station when our bells go within 90 seconds
0:14:24 > 0:14:28cos we don't want the core temperature to start dropping.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31A minute and a half is the matter of life or death.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34SIREN BLARES
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Once they see the boats, that's when it's the most dangerous.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45The body relaxes slightly because you know you are now safe.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49They'll put their hands up and then they slip underwater.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53- 'Have you had anyone disappear?' - Several times, yes.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58By the time Faisal is pulled from the river,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01he's struggling to breathe.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03I think he breathed in a lot of water,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- and he took a bad fall as well. - Did he? Wow.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10He was very scared and he was vomiting continuously.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Was starting to go into hypothermia.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15We got blankets around him, was giving him sips of water
0:15:15 > 0:15:19to try and flush the sick, and got him warm.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23I thought I'd be all right.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I thought I'd just swim to the side,
0:15:25 > 0:15:26hopefully, like,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29run away from police and just get home and upload the video,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32but that's not how it went.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33Faisal was very lucky.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34For their own good,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38sometimes we do have to be a bit cross with them.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40They were... They were angry.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43"Why did you do it?" Stuff like that.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46And I was like, "It was a dare."
0:15:49 > 0:15:51I didn't think it was going to be such a big deal.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53I thought, "It's going to be fun."
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Not fun, but, like, I thought it would be a good YouTube video.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01He now realises just how idiotic it was to do that
0:16:01 > 0:16:05and how close he came to losing his life that day.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Home to some of Britain's most beautiful beaches,
0:16:11 > 0:16:16West Wales is one of the UK's most popular summer holiday destinations.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22There's been a station at Cardigan Bay for over 150 years,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26but to keep it going, it needs new recruits.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31Local lad Tom has recently signed up to volunteer.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33I didn't really know much about the sea.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35I was born near the coast, but the family is not very...
0:16:35 > 0:16:37They didn't really like the beach much.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43When he first came through the door, like I say, a 17-year-old,
0:16:43 > 0:16:45and you think, "He's a tiny fella,"
0:16:45 > 0:16:47and looked a bit green. Yeah, definitely.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49You think to yourself, some people are not made of it.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Some people do come and go and don't like it.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Already confused.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56This rabbit is at the hole,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58goes round the tree, back in the hole.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04SIREN BLARES Late afternoon, the alarm goes off.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08A nine-year-old girl on a school trip to the beach
0:17:08 > 0:17:11has become trapped in some rocks while playing hide and seek.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15She's stuck below the high water mark
0:17:15 > 0:17:17and the tide is rising fast.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The tide waits for no-one, and we knew the tide was coming in.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27After months of training, this is Tom's first-ever real emergency.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37The nerves are coming out around that time.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39You're like, "Oh, I better do everything right.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41"I don't want to do anything wrong."
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Milford LB, we've located casualty. Over.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55MAN SPEAKS INAUDIBLY OVER RADIO
0:17:58 > 0:18:01The police, coastguard and fire brigade
0:18:01 > 0:18:02are already on scene
0:18:02 > 0:18:06but have all been unable to free the little girl.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Hi. How are you doing?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Are you all right? OK.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Yeah, OK. It's not a problem.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19It's not a problem. So, can you not move your leg at all, no?
0:18:19 > 0:18:20- No.- No?
0:18:20 > 0:18:23How about in the welly? Is there any room in the welly?
0:18:23 > 0:18:24Only your toes, is it?
0:18:24 > 0:18:27'I never thought she'd be in a hole four foot down.'
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Bit of a shock and panic, but you try not to show it.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32You try and keep it at the back of your head,
0:18:32 > 0:18:33especially to keep the girl calm.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34Yeah.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Get the first aid kit and get the scissors out of the first aid kit.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39- Go back and get the scissors.- OK.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42If you can cut down your welly, OK,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45you have to cut down the front of your welly and maybe
0:18:45 > 0:18:46down the back of your welly, OK,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49hopefully then your foot will be able to come out of the welly, yeah?
0:18:49 > 0:18:50OK?
0:18:50 > 0:18:52'The tide coming in,'
0:18:52 > 0:18:53it will kill you.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57'The stake is her life. The stake is Eira's life.'
0:18:58 > 0:19:03To make matters worse, today is the spring tide,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06when the sea levels rise even faster and higher than normal.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16OK, these are scissors.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19If she dropped the scissors, it would've been game over.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21'You have got to think on your feet.'
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Uh...
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Put this on your wrist first, OK?
0:19:30 > 0:19:33And then can you reach your welly with your other hand?
0:19:35 > 0:19:38You might have to change hands. Might be easier to change hands.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45It will cut. Just take your time.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Just do two or three snips with it. It will cut through.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51No?
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Is it your leg in the welly are your leg itself?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56The leg itself, is it?
0:19:57 > 0:19:59'There was a bit of a panic then'
0:19:59 > 0:20:03cos we had done what we thought we could do and she was still stuck.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05Can you move backwards at all?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09OK, push it forwards.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12'Fire brigade officer turned around and said
0:20:12 > 0:20:14'if he could get in the hole, he would.'
0:20:18 > 0:20:21It was a typical firemen, six foot plus tall.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25No?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31'It does pull on the heartstrings, especially a young girl.'
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Tom, will you fit down there, mate?
0:20:37 > 0:20:42Yeah, take all the stuff off. Take your life jacket off. OK.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45'I'm not too comfortable in holes, but when I saw the little face,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47'I was like, "Oh, we have to do something."'
0:20:47 > 0:20:49I didn't really have a second thought about it.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52It was just a case of, "I need to try this."
0:20:52 > 0:20:54OK, go down here, mate.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Just slide down there, yeah.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16'You could hear the sea coming in hitting rocks
0:21:16 > 0:21:18'and you could feel the splashes coming over.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21'I was like, "Oh, no. This is serious now."'
0:21:21 > 0:21:25The rising sea has reached the girl's legs.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26Can you see, Tom?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Ow!
0:21:31 > 0:21:33'Her leg had swollen up quite a bit'
0:21:33 > 0:21:34and there's no movement,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37so she had just completely stuck her leg.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42Yeah, yeah.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45OK, Tom...
0:21:45 > 0:21:47'I was panicking.'
0:21:50 > 0:21:52'I felt like this is her life in my hands
0:21:52 > 0:21:54'and I have to do something.'
0:21:57 > 0:21:58That's it. Go on.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00- Well done. Go on again. - Well done.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03- And again.- One more go, yeah?
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Good!
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Leave the welly. Leave the welly.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- Take all these.- Are you OK? - Stay there a sec.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25'As soon as she was free,'
0:22:25 > 0:22:27then I put my body underneath her so she didn't fall,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and I just had the biggest smile on my face ever then.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32All right. OK, slowly come up.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Don't pull, just slowly...
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- Good girl.- Brilliant.- OK?
0:22:41 > 0:22:45- OK?- OK, just go straight up and sit on the box right behind you.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Go on. Have a sit down there first. Well done.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- Well done!- Reach for the welly. Get the welly up.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56'It was a really big feeling of relief.'
0:22:56 > 0:22:57I didn't really know what to say
0:22:57 > 0:23:01cos they'd saved my life, and I just wasn't sure what to do.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Move your foot as well. Move your foot.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I'm just really grateful they got me out.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10'She was calm throughout.'
0:23:10 > 0:23:13I've rescued adults before for less serious situations
0:23:13 > 0:23:14who panicked a lot more than that.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18'We went to play hide and seek on the rocks'
0:23:18 > 0:23:20and I thought I would hide down a hole.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22And as I was putting my foot on the rock,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26it slipped on a bit of moss or something and got stuck.
0:23:28 > 0:23:29Well done.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Well done, Tom, mate. Well done.
0:23:33 > 0:23:34Thank you, everybody.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36- Well done, buddy.- Cheers. - Well done.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Well done, mate.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42First shout.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46'He definitely stepped up to the plate
0:23:46 > 0:23:48'like he'd been a crewman for years.'
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Got straight in there and helped save a life on his first shout.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Well done, mate. That's good. Well done.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02'I was so proud of myself.'
0:24:04 > 0:24:07I can't describe how it feels. It's so amazing.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09'It was a big confidence boost.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15'I'm never really a confident guy. I'm quite shy, stick to myself.'
0:24:15 > 0:24:19It's a big thing for me. Best thing that's happened in my life, I think.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27It's August, and on the South Coast,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29temperatures at Britain's busiest beach
0:24:29 > 0:24:31have reached 30 degrees.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34Whenever the sun shines,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37the volunteers at Brighton Lifeboat Station
0:24:37 > 0:24:38know to be on high alert.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Brighton has always had a reputation of being a party town.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49People want to have a good time, get sunburned, go for a swim.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51- A lot of partying.- Hello, people!
0:24:52 > 0:24:55It's absolutely crammed.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57There's a lot of drinking and a lot of people
0:24:57 > 0:25:01who aren't used to being near a massive body of water.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06People have been flocking here to have fun by the sea
0:25:06 > 0:25:09since George IV made it his favourite holiday spot in 1783.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16There's been an RNLI lifeboat station for nearly 200 years,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19and over that time thousands of volunteers
0:25:19 > 0:25:20have served on the crew.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23PHONE RINGS
0:25:23 > 0:25:2622-year-old Jade joined five years ago.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28If someone says a lifeboat man,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31I still have the whole image of great big beards,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34old guy, likes fishing.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38They definitely don't think of me, I can guarantee you that.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41SIREN BLARES
0:25:41 > 0:25:44But Jade has had close links to the RNLI all her life.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Her father Roger volunteers as the station manager.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50When she was about two weeks old,
0:25:50 > 0:25:51I came down with this baby in my arms and,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54"There you are, Jade. This is a lifeboat station."
0:25:54 > 0:25:57She's had some hard knocks in life, but she's come through good
0:25:57 > 0:25:58and I'm a proud dad.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Jade made the decision to join up after her mum passed away.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13My mum was like me - a bubbly, chatty person.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Loved life, lived it to the full.
0:26:16 > 0:26:17OK, numbers, please.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19'It was all a big shock,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23'but the crew down at the lifeboat station helped me get through it.'
0:26:24 > 0:26:28'There's not a day that goes past I don't miss my mum.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29'Everything I do is'
0:26:29 > 0:26:32to make her proud, and also to make Dad proud.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Today's call has come from some holiday-makers
0:26:36 > 0:26:39who have raised the alarm, concerned about a friend
0:26:39 > 0:26:42who went for a swim and has not returned.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Southern coastguard, Brighton Lifeboat.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47For your information, we are now on scene
0:26:47 > 0:26:51and starting a shoreline search from Brighton Palace Pier
0:26:51 > 0:26:53to Brighton West Pier. Over.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59He's a male. He's 33 years old.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Guys, he's got a shaven head. He's wearing white boxer shorts.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06'In the height of summer,
0:27:06 > 0:27:07'Brighton Beach is absolutely packed.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09'It's like trying to find'
0:27:09 > 0:27:10a needle in a haystack.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15You've got a bald person at 9 o'clock.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Yeah, dead on 9 o'clock.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Bald person.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Am I not...? Can you see him or am I just being blind?
0:27:25 > 0:27:27He's bald.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33I don't reckon it's him. Sorry.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34'That day, there were quite a lot of bald men'
0:27:34 > 0:27:37with white swimming trunks, I'm not going to lie.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Brighton Lifeboat, that's all received.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Do you have a time of when the casualty was last seen? Over.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53He was last seen at 12.30, which was a good three hours ago.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58If we get a report that
0:27:58 > 0:27:59someone's been missing for three hours,
0:27:59 > 0:28:03my initial reaction is, "Why weren't we alerted earlier?"
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Whenever you're going to a person in the water,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21a thing that always crosses my mind is "Do they have children?"
0:28:21 > 0:28:25'Cos I know what it feels like to lose your parent.'
0:28:39 > 0:28:42If he is a bit drunk, he might have got off on the beach somewhere else.
0:28:42 > 0:28:43Yeah.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47'Did he make it back to the beach safely
0:28:47 > 0:28:49'and they just haven't been able to find him?'
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Or is he somewhere in the water, and if so, what are his chances?
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Cos he's had alcohol in his system,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56he's been missing for the last three hours.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05We exhausted that whole search area.
0:29:05 > 0:29:06We had the helicopter up.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09We had the coastguard units on the beach.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13The worst-case scenario is that we'll be pulling him out as a body.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Southern coastguard, Brighton Lifeboat. Go ahead. Over.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23Stand down, stand down.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26After an hour and a half,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30the decision is taken to call the search off.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32That is a very frustrating feeling.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35You know, you really want to find that person.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38That is a hard decision, to say,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41"Look, we don't think we can search that place any more."
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Coastguard is still obviously keeping an eye out.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48It's a bit like,
0:29:48 > 0:29:50"Is he alive? Is he dead? What's going on?"
0:29:50 > 0:29:51Cos you want to know.
0:29:55 > 0:29:56You do think about it.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00I mean, we go back home and you try to get sleep.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02That situation is going through your mind,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04but then the world carries on.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12We had a man missing, so they had us,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15the coastguard, on the beach, and then the helicopter out.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18If you have a shout like that and you don't find them...
0:30:18 > 0:30:22- Yeah.- ..do you not, like, constantly think about it when you get home?
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Yeah, I have so much respect for her.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27It's really incredible what she does.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31It's a really tough job to kind of leave a station and just go home.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36I think every shout I've ever been on stays with me.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38I don't forget anything.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44One shout that every RNLI volunteer can remember clearly
0:30:44 > 0:30:47is their first encounter with death.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51For Brighton crew member Roland, it came earlier in the summer.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56I'm not in the army, I'm not a doctor.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57I'm a primary school teacher,
0:30:57 > 0:30:59so I'd never seen a dead body before.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02SIREN BLARES
0:31:02 > 0:31:05We were told there was a man face down under the pier,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08and when you hear that, you know it's the real deal.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10You've got to get there fast.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Can I confirm if someone has a visual on this person? Over.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18The sea was too rough to get the boat close.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25I didn't really have time to think about it.
0:31:25 > 0:31:26I just got in the water.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31I'd been picked up by a wave and I was just smashed around,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33churned around like being in a washing machine.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Must've bumped into the guy a few times under water.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41From the moment, you know, you looked in his eyes,
0:31:41 > 0:31:45you could see that there was just nothing there.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49Nothing prepares you for being there at the end of someone's life.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53What would've happened if we had a got there a few minutes earlier?
0:31:53 > 0:31:56What would've happened if I'd swum faster?
0:31:56 > 0:32:00If I'd got hold of him the first time instead of the third time?
0:32:00 > 0:32:01But it's all bollocks, really,
0:32:01 > 0:32:05because there was nothing that I could do.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Every 19-year-old man with a few beers in them
0:32:10 > 0:32:12is invincible in their own mind.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16One minute he was in Brighton having a brilliant night out
0:32:16 > 0:32:19and then the next minute he was dead.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26In just one summer, two people have lost their lives here.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38In London, it's the summer bank holiday
0:32:38 > 0:32:41and the volunteers at Tower Lifeboat Station
0:32:41 > 0:32:44are expecting an influx of partygoers.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49On the Thames, there are quite a lot of boats
0:32:49 > 0:32:51that will go out for an evening cruise
0:32:51 > 0:32:54and they've got bars on them, discos, sometimes singers.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56DANCE MUSIC PLAYS IN DISTANCE
0:32:56 > 0:33:00You know, the more they've drunk, the louder they get.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03Exactly the same as your typical sort of high street
0:33:03 > 0:33:06on a Friday or Saturday night, really, basically, yeah.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Just happens to be on a floating waterway.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13There are some boats that have more of a reputation
0:33:13 > 0:33:17for heavy drinking parties, shall we say.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19As a group, I suppose,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22they're one of our regular customers.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24- At 8pm...- OK.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26..a call comes in.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42If there's a casualty on a party boat
0:33:42 > 0:33:43in the middle of the river,
0:33:43 > 0:33:46then obviously the lifeboat can get medical care to the person
0:33:46 > 0:33:49far more quickly than an ambulance crew.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53And when we're going to a party boat,
0:33:53 > 0:33:57you know that usually drink or drugs is involved in some way.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09Can you mark the double line? Two lines.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11With a medical emergency on board,
0:34:11 > 0:34:14the party boat has moored up at a nearby pier to await assistance.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20Sometimes it can be difficult for us two or three crew
0:34:20 > 0:34:22that are getting on with, you know, dry suits on,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24helmet and life jackets,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26and that draws a little bit of attention.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30Some people think that they're strippers or whatever,
0:34:30 > 0:34:31or fancy dress.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41We're concerned if he's unconscious or might not be breathing.
0:34:48 > 0:34:49I was trying to rouse him.
0:34:53 > 0:34:54'And then he suddenly'
0:34:54 > 0:34:56woke up and said, "Yeah, hello."
0:34:56 > 0:34:59What's your name? Stay there, stay there.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15He had sort of white flecks around his nose,
0:35:15 > 0:35:20which would tie in with taking some sort of illegal substance.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29I've only heard of ketamine in the context of veterinary practice,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31and I think it's a horse tranquilizer.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39'That would explain his predicament.'
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Outside, an ambulance has arrived at the pier
0:35:48 > 0:35:50to take the casualty to hospital.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29'Do you ever feel like your time has been wasted?'
0:36:31 > 0:36:35No. No. I don't think I've ever felt our time has been wasted.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39Even if the casualty we're actually dealing with runs off in the end,
0:36:39 > 0:36:40we've made sure
0:36:40 > 0:36:43that he hasn't died on the boat.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49No!
0:36:49 > 0:36:51Did he?
0:36:51 > 0:36:53BELLS CHIME
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Tower is the station that never sleeps.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08The volunteers here take it in turns to work two 12-hour shifts
0:37:08 > 0:37:10to provide cover around the clock.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16And living, sleeping and eating alongside one another
0:37:16 > 0:37:19can lead to some unexpected friendships.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22You may be from a completely different walk of life,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25you may have a completely different opinion from each other,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27but when you're faced with adversity,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30then all of that is put to one side.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33We're all there for one reason.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34Craig is an ex cop,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38whilst Robin is a lecturer at Chelsea College of Arts.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44His day-to-day job, I don't really have much of a clue about that,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47but we're all brought together by the RNLI and lifeboats.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50It's like the relationship that you have with your family.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Yeah, I like Robin. He's a good boy.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Needs a shave, though.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57PHONE RINGS
0:37:57 > 0:38:00At half past midnight, a call comes in.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04A member of the public has seen a woman throw herself
0:38:04 > 0:38:05into the river.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19When you have a shift on the station,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22you're fully aware of the fact that there's a possibility
0:38:22 > 0:38:24that you might have to deal with something
0:38:24 > 0:38:28that is really quite difficult and sometimes upsetting.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Every year on the Thames, there are more than 300 call-outs
0:38:35 > 0:38:39to people threatening or attempting to harm themselves.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45It's a dark piece of water,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48and searching for people at night has that
0:38:48 > 0:38:50very, very real element
0:38:50 > 0:38:52of the fact that you might miss them.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01INDISTINCT SHOUTING
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Shouts from the water draw their attention to the river's edge.
0:39:09 > 0:39:10Drop the lamp.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18You can hear this girl shouting and screaming,
0:39:18 > 0:39:20but it's very difficult to spot her.
0:39:20 > 0:39:21You can hear the noise.
0:39:28 > 0:39:29She's underneath.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34The woman is clinging to a pillar
0:39:34 > 0:39:36where the water flows at over 5mph.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41'You need to act fast.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45'You know, I've seen people drown'
0:39:45 > 0:39:46in front of me that had been there,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49'and they've gone under and you don't find them.'
0:39:50 > 0:39:52Need to get her a line!
0:39:52 > 0:39:54There's only so long you can hold on in cold water.
0:39:54 > 0:39:55Then your muscles get tired and weak.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05'He got that line to her straightaway.'
0:40:05 > 0:40:06You got it?
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Have you got the line?
0:40:09 > 0:40:10- OK.- OK.
0:40:12 > 0:40:13She wanted to be saved, clearly,
0:40:13 > 0:40:17because when we threw her the line she grabbed hold of it immediately.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19People who don't want to be saved
0:40:19 > 0:40:23actually need more kind of prompting.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Right, if you let go of the pillar
0:40:26 > 0:40:29and gently pull yourself towards me on the rope.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31OK?
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Gently does it. Easy, easy, easy.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38We're just going to pull you down the side of the boat
0:40:38 > 0:40:39where we can get to you.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41SHE SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY
0:40:41 > 0:40:44- Come on.- Come on.- Come on.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47It's all right. We've got you.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51'She had been in the water for a long time. It was freezing cold.'
0:40:51 > 0:40:54And immediately, actually, when we got her onto our boat,
0:40:54 > 0:40:55'she appeared to pass out.'
0:40:56 > 0:40:58It's OK, it's OK.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00'When somebody has jumped into the river,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03'there's been a tendency to say that they're crazy,'
0:41:03 > 0:41:04'when in fact,'
0:41:04 > 0:41:08actually, mental health, I think, is something that affects
0:41:08 > 0:41:09the majority of us, in a way.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28Police and paramedics are waiting at a nearby jetty
0:41:28 > 0:41:30to take the woman to hospital
0:41:30 > 0:41:33where she can be assessed by a psychiatrist.
0:41:33 > 0:41:34Cheers. See you later.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40'You never know what their futures are going to hold.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43'They may do exactly the same thing in a month's time.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45'But then and there,'
0:41:45 > 0:41:46we're here to support you.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48We're not here to do anything other than support you.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52- Oh.- Could do with a cigarette. - Absolutely.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04We do get lots of people that have done that,
0:42:04 > 0:42:05and we've pulled them out.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07It's changed their life
0:42:07 > 0:42:09and actually they didn't really want to do that.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22In Brighton, the summer season is slow to finish,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25and a hot afternoon has brought a rush of people back to the coast.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35Marcus is one of 16 lifeboat crew in Brighton,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38living his life with one eye on the sea.
0:42:38 > 0:42:39Before marriage and children,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43he used to sell yachts around the world.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46The sea, for me, is my kind of yoga, I suppose.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49Without the sea, I'd probably go insane.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51I just love it.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54But it's not easy to balance that with family life.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58When he's on call, Marcus can never
0:42:58 > 0:43:01be further than five minutes from the lifeboat station.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05You can't just go out for dinner or go for a beer
0:43:05 > 0:43:09and relax properly because, you know, you are on call.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11'What does your wife say?'
0:43:11 > 0:43:13HE LAUGHS Ask her.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Sometimes it's a bit annoying.
0:43:19 > 0:43:24Bath-time, you know, when the boys is just in the crazy time
0:43:24 > 0:43:27of being really tired, just about to go to bed, and the alarm is like...
0:43:27 > 0:43:30- SHE IMITATES ALARM - It's like, "No!"
0:43:30 > 0:43:32My wife probably worries a little bit,
0:43:32 > 0:43:34depending on sea conditions
0:43:34 > 0:43:37and depending on the emergency that we have.
0:43:37 > 0:43:38I do get scared, yes.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42I do. But I feel quite proud of what he does.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45If you see what they do, really, you need to forget about it
0:43:45 > 0:43:52and just let them go, and actually, Marcus loves it, so I don't mind.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58ALARM RINGS
0:43:58 > 0:44:02It's mid-afternoon, and as high tide approaches,
0:44:02 > 0:44:06Brighton Lifeboat Station receives a call for help.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10A female tourist out for a walk has called 999
0:44:10 > 0:44:13after becoming cut off and trapped by the rising tide.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19The only problem, she doesn't know where she is.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Information from first informants varies.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33They might be distressed or not be thinking clearly.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36You know, obviously, they're calling 999
0:44:36 > 0:44:40hoping that someone's going to come and save them.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43With almost four miles of coastline to search,
0:44:43 > 0:44:46the crew must get to the woman before the sea does.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51There should be a lifeguard along the Saltdean beach as well,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53but this bit is not patrolled.
0:44:58 > 0:45:03The UK and Ireland have some of the biggest tidal ranges in the world.
0:45:04 > 0:45:09The combination of steep cliffs and shallowly sloping seabed
0:45:09 > 0:45:13means the tide around our coast can come in unexpectedly fast.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Tides and seas can move very quickly.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26Apparently, a horse can't outrun the tide.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33Trapped between the sea and vertical cliffs over 30 meters high,
0:45:33 > 0:45:35there is no escape.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39I didn't see anything that way,
0:45:39 > 0:45:42so it might be worth having a quick look at the Saltdean
0:45:42 > 0:45:44and then perhaps working our way back.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47'The Saltdean cliffs historically was where'
0:45:47 > 0:45:49smugglers used to put in their boats,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51and it's very secluded.
0:45:51 > 0:45:52There were a lot of little inlets.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57'It's very easy to get cut off by the tide there.'
0:45:57 > 0:46:01All of that part of the coastline gets submerged every time.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06It's been half an hour since the alarm was raised,
0:46:06 > 0:46:09and with the tide still coming in and the sea just now meters
0:46:09 > 0:46:11from the bottom of the cliffs,
0:46:11 > 0:46:14there are real fears for the woman's safety.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17If a person is stuck
0:46:17 > 0:46:19on a fast-approaching tide and they're cut off
0:46:19 > 0:46:24and there is no escape via land, you're going to have to swim for it.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27There's no other option.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34The first thing you notice is how cold the water is.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37And when you've got no means of escape,
0:46:37 > 0:46:40that must just be absolutely terrifying.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50As the rising sea starts to reach the foot of the cliffs,
0:46:50 > 0:46:52the crew spot something at the water's edge.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56- Yeah.- Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'll let coastie know.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03The woman has barely a metre of land left to stand on.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07Brighton Lifeboat, we've located the person on the eastern end
0:47:07 > 0:47:09of Saltdean under the cliff.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14She was confused, she was panicking, you know,
0:47:14 > 0:47:15and who could blame her?
0:47:15 > 0:47:17If you don't get help and you can't swim
0:47:17 > 0:47:20in freezing cold water in all of your clothes,
0:47:20 > 0:47:21you'll drown.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26Just under a pole length. Just in.
0:47:26 > 0:47:27I'll keep it there.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36- Are you all right?- Yeah.- Jump.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42There isn't anything else after us.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45There's no other group of people that go out into the water
0:47:45 > 0:47:47to get people out of it.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50If we hadn't have turned up, she would've turned up dead.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56- Are you OK? You're not cold or...got any injuries?- No.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58- Do you need any medical care?- No.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00- No?- I'm fine.- OK.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02- ON RADIO:- 'Lifeboat to Southern coastguard.'
0:48:02 > 0:48:03- ON RADIO:- 'Roger.'
0:48:09 > 0:48:12OK, good. Well done. Welcome back.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24- LAUGHTER - If you follow me...
0:48:24 > 0:48:26'I'm a very emotional person.'
0:48:26 > 0:48:29I think events like that always make me appreciate what I've got.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32- Brilliant. Thank you. OK, no worries.- That's it. Thank you.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34No worries. Cheers.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37And how lucky I am to have my family, my friends.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45Summer is coming to an end,
0:48:45 > 0:48:48but in Newquay there are still plenty of holiday-makers
0:48:48 > 0:48:49on the beaches.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52Mid-afternoon,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55the station receive a call from the coastguard.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57SIREN BLARES
0:49:00 > 0:49:03- ON RADIO:- 'Roger on that. Thank you. We'll get the coastguard out.'
0:49:04 > 0:49:07We were told that there were two people in the water
0:49:07 > 0:49:10up to half a mile off Polly Joke.
0:49:10 > 0:49:15That immediately is alarm bells, so it was go, go, go.
0:49:16 > 0:49:17Get on the boat!
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Set between two headlines, Polly Joke is a narrow beach
0:49:26 > 0:49:29with a powerful rip current that can easily catch out
0:49:29 > 0:49:31unsuspecting swimmers.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34Riptides can exist at any beach.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37It's a current of water that moves out to sea,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40so it's taking you out of your depth and away from the beach.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45It's a ten-year-old boy who has been caught in the rip.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49His father ran in to save him and now both are in trouble.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54I guess his father's instincts kicked in.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56As soon as he saw the boy in difficulty,
0:49:56 > 0:49:57he's just ran for the water,
0:49:57 > 0:50:00and it's not always the right thing to do.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02Going in after someone else
0:50:02 > 0:50:05is one of the most common causes of drowning.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09At Polly Joke beach alone, three adults drowned last year
0:50:09 > 0:50:12trying to save children in almost identical circumstances.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18You just do everything you can, and on that day,
0:50:18 > 0:50:22everybody performed outstandingly.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27Just sometimes you can't... you're just too late.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33The longer the boy and his dad are pulled out by the rip current,
0:50:33 > 0:50:37the harder it is for the crew to predict where they'll be.
0:50:38 > 0:50:39Ten minutes into the search
0:50:39 > 0:50:42they spot two casualties in the water.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47Front. Get up the front.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57The crew prioritise the boy.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08Are you all right? Good lad. You take a seat back here then.
0:51:11 > 0:51:12'I was just there'
0:51:12 > 0:51:16with him last time, and then it all happened quite suddenly.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21The sea just kind of took me out.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24I just didn't really know what to do.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28I was trying to swim back in. I got quite scared.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32And then my dad came out for me.
0:51:38 > 0:51:44It was quite hard to accept that I'd got out.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47But I was scared cos my dad was still in the water.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11'We were in a lot of trouble. I knew we were in trouble.'
0:52:11 > 0:52:13There was no fighting it at all.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20I went into the rip.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23I put my head down and swam, and the next thing, I put my head up,
0:52:23 > 0:52:26the board was in front of me and I grabbed hold of it.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29My dad told me to hold on to my body board
0:52:29 > 0:52:32cos it would keep us afloat.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36You hear stories that it's the ones that aren't with the board
0:52:36 > 0:52:37that don't come back,
0:52:37 > 0:52:41so I knew the importance of staying with the board, whatever happened.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43I didn't even hear them.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45I looked over my shoulder and they were just there.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47It was one of the best sights ever.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52The father did a fantastic job.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Essentially, the father saved his son's life.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00There was a lot of relief. That's the main feeling.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03But there's also an element of
0:53:03 > 0:53:06he was told to stay in with everyone else.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08He did get carried away,
0:53:08 > 0:53:11and he kept saying, "I'm very, very sorry."
0:53:12 > 0:53:15So, he did get a little bit of a telling off
0:53:15 > 0:53:16when everyone else had gone home.
0:53:20 > 0:53:27499 miles from Newquay, a lifeboat station on a remote Scottish island
0:53:27 > 0:53:30has been alerted to a boat approaching the harbour.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38The artists from France have survived their journey
0:53:38 > 0:53:42and made it all the way to Islay.
0:53:42 > 0:53:47Everything. We broke everything. From the engine to the radios.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49Big leaks, huge leaks.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51HE LAUGHS
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Everything.
0:53:53 > 0:53:58With only metres to go, there's still time for one final mishap.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07This time, it's the Islay lifeboat crew to the rescue.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Their antique boat will finally become whisky barrels,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17but only if they make it to the distillery.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19Whoa!
0:54:21 > 0:54:22Luke, it's going to go over.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Fuck sake!
0:54:26 > 0:54:27Pull!
0:54:32 > 0:54:34HE LAUGHS
0:54:34 > 0:54:36- Thank you very much.- Pleasure. - This was amazing.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39The end result, no doubt, will be wonderful.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42I don't expect I'll ever get to taste it.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44It will be bottled in some months,
0:54:44 > 0:54:49and I hope it will have the taste of sea, wind and adventure.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55'Do you think that you will have another sailing adventure?'
0:54:55 > 0:54:58As soon as possible. Of course.
0:54:58 > 0:54:59Of course, of course.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06As summer draws to a close,
0:55:06 > 0:55:10the RNLI's busiest period is over for another year.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15This season across Britain, volunteers have come to the aid
0:55:15 > 0:55:20of over 4,000 people and saved more than 150 lives.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26All of our casualties are either somebody's child, somebody's mother,
0:55:26 > 0:55:29somebody's father, somebody's brother, somebody's sister.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33You know, you put yourselves in their position.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Summer or winter, 365 days of the year,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39it's good to know that there's a lifeboat out there if you need it.
0:55:41 > 0:55:45After 41 years, the day will come when I'll hang the pager up,
0:55:45 > 0:55:50and hand it back in, but at the moment, there's a job to be done.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Yeah, ten-second rule. Just go on. Do it.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03Faisal, the young man who had to be rescued from the Thames
0:56:03 > 0:56:06after his YouTube stunt went badly wrong,
0:56:06 > 0:56:11donated all the proceeds generated by the video to the RNLI.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17I'm really thankful I didn't die.
0:56:17 > 0:56:18I'd obviously never do it again,
0:56:18 > 0:56:21and I advise people to respect the water and stuff like that.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24#respectthewater
0:56:26 > 0:56:28You've got a bald person at 9 o'clock.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31The swimmer who was missing in Brighton did eventually show up...
0:56:31 > 0:56:34- Bald person at 9 o'clock. - ..alive and well.
0:56:34 > 0:56:35He got himself out of the water
0:56:35 > 0:56:38but couldn't find his way back to his friends.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43- Is it your leg in the welly or your leg itself?- The leg.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45- The leg itself, is it?- Yeah.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48Eira has suffered no lasting ill effects
0:56:48 > 0:56:51after getting stuck in the rocks,
0:56:51 > 0:56:54but the experience has taught her a valuable lesson.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56I still play in the sea, I still like the sea,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59but I know that I didn't really think of it as a place of danger
0:56:59 > 0:57:01before that happened,
0:57:01 > 0:57:06but now I know that it's a place you need to be careful in.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Gently does it. Easy.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11The lady who was pulled from the River Thames
0:57:11 > 0:57:14suffering mental health problems is doing well.
0:57:14 > 0:57:15All right, we've got you.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18She's extremely grateful to the volunteers
0:57:18 > 0:57:20who were there to save her life.