0:00:02 > 0:00:04We're an island nation,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06drawn to the sea that surrounds us.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08For many, it's a playground.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13For others, it's where we earn our living.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16But the sea's unpredictable.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18It can change in an instant.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23And when accidents happen, they happen very fast.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25The sea is a dangerous place.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29You don't respect the sea, the sea will bite you.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32There to save our lives is a volunteer army
0:00:32 > 0:00:35of nearly 5,000 ordinary people,
0:00:35 > 0:00:40ready to leave their jobs, their families, to race to our rescue.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45It makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48to know that if it wasn't for you, that people wouldn't be here.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50They rescued me.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54But they also saved a mum, a daughter, a sister, a wife.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55Oh, my gosh!
0:00:55 > 0:00:58To see someone disappear under the water right in front of you...
0:00:58 > 0:01:02is brutal. It's absolutely horrendous.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Equipped with their own cameras...
0:01:04 > 0:01:06- Is my light flashing?- Yeah, is mine?
0:01:06 > 0:01:09..the crews give us a unique insight
0:01:09 > 0:01:13into every call-out as only they see it.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Right, there's another little wave.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Speeding through the roughest weather,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23searching for people who may only have moments to live...
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Can you still hear me?
0:01:25 > 0:01:30For those who risk their lives, it has become a way of live.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33When those pagers go off, it's life and death.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50On the south coast of Ireland,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Kinsale has been a fishing port for hundreds of years.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58The boats that trawl far out into the Atlantic
0:01:58 > 0:02:01often run the gauntlet of storms,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04whipped up across thousands of miles of open ocean.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08SIREN BLARES
0:02:11 > 0:02:13An urgent mayday has come in for the volunteers
0:02:13 > 0:02:15of the Kinsale lifeboat crew.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19As a force-eight gale has sent ships scurrying for safety,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22one fishing boat has failed to reach harbour.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Winds gusting over 50mph have forced her
0:02:25 > 0:02:29onto some of the treacherous rocks that litter this coast.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The land juts out in little peninsulas in lots of places,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38so where it juts out, you'll have shelves of rock under the water.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42The people that live in Kinsale,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46we know where the dangers are.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48We know where the shallow rocks are.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51But with high tide, you just can't see those rocks,
0:02:51 > 0:02:52and people are unprepared.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59The Kinsale crew don't know exactly where the boat has grounded
0:02:59 > 0:03:00or how many are on board.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04The only information I had was that there was...
0:03:04 > 0:03:06a boat was running ashore.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09I was kind of assuming it was something small,
0:03:09 > 0:03:10like a small fishing boat.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15The minute we rounded the Block House,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17we see the mast of the fishing vessel, so we knew where she was.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Seeing a large fishing boat, you get that moment of surprise and shock,
0:03:28 > 0:03:29going, "Oh, my God!"
0:03:29 > 0:03:32You know? "That's a big boat."
0:03:36 > 0:03:38As she was trying to reach harbour,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41the 68-tonne trawler's nets caught in her propeller.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Powerless, she's been impaled on the rocks,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46and there's no sign of anyone on deck.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49The boat was being hammered by big waves.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54The side closest to the waves was rolling down under the water.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57We were afraid that she was going to capsize, you know.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59That's all we were thinking.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04As every wave pushes the boat higher onto the rocks,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06she's listing further over with every roll.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09The crew need to find out who's on board and get them off
0:04:09 > 0:04:11before the boat overturns.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15We could see the door of the wheel house opening
0:04:15 > 0:04:17and a figure coming out.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I still didn't know how many were on board.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23That's one of the first things we were trying to assess.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26But I didn't get a response.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Still unsure how many fishermen are in danger,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37the crew need to work out how to get them off the boat fast,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41but in these conditions, there are no easy options.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44We couldn't bring our lifeboat right beside them because of the movement
0:04:44 > 0:04:46of the fishing boat, so we determined at that stage
0:04:46 > 0:04:48that they needed to get to us.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Yelling above the wind,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59the crew tell the fishermen to swim for the lifeboat.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01But in these seas, even the strongest swimmer
0:05:01 > 0:05:02risks being swept away.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09We decided to veer down,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12which was dropping our anchor from the front of our boat and then
0:05:12 > 0:05:16reversing under control of the anchor line.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Helmsman Nick needs to get in as close as possible to grab the men
0:05:22 > 0:05:23as they're swept past.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26Yes.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29He's relying on his anchor to manoeuvre the lifeboat safely
0:05:29 > 0:05:31between the fishing boat and the rocks.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I was asking the lads repeatedly, "Is she holding? Is she holding?"
0:05:34 > 0:05:36while I was watching the rocks because everything had to be
0:05:36 > 0:05:38spot-on. There was no room for error.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42You're reversing the boat on to a rocky shore.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44If you don't do it right,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46you're going to end up in a very dangerous situation.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56As the crew battle to get in position,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59behind them a body hits the water.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13You all right?
0:06:13 > 0:06:15You all right there, mate?
0:06:22 > 0:06:24He was eager to get off the fishing vessel.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26He didn't hang around. He was gone.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- Come back here to me.- I don't know if it was his leg or his arm,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31but I cast him in and just got back to the throttles.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Put your feet in there.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35One fisherman is safe,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38but it's still not clear how many more are left on board.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55One, two, three.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58One, two...
0:07:05 > 0:07:08They were cold and they were in shock, but there was no injuries.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11They were just relieved to be...to be on board.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16As the doomed fishing boat rolls further with every wave,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18one more fisherman appears on deck.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30But Nick's losing his battle to hold the lifeboat in position.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- Is the anchor holding?- Now, just a metre from the rocks behind them,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36he's almost out of room to manoeuvre.
0:07:36 > 0:07:37I was running out of space.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41For the first two, I could watch the anchor and watch the casualties
0:07:41 > 0:07:45and move in further. But for the last man, he left it too late.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53The third guy seemed to be holding on.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57I remember thinking that he couldn't swim or, you know,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00he, for some reason, wasn't, you know, going to make it.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Please, please, just go for it and get to us as well.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Still attached to the sea bed by the anchor,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Nick make makes a split-second call to cut lose,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22so he can move in before the fisherman is swept away.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Are you all right? Are you all right?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30I'm all right.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- Everybody.- OK.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- Let's go.- OK.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48You OK?
0:08:51 > 0:08:52I had to make the decision to cut the line,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55just to move in to grab him before...
0:08:55 > 0:08:57he got out of my reach.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01If we didn't cut the anchor line...
0:09:03 > 0:09:06..and grab him, I would probably say we'd have lost a life.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09You know, if the weather is doing that to the fishing boat,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I'm not too sure what it would do to a human body.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17The three fishermen are all from Portugal.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19As they start the short journey to harbour,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21their boat is left to the mercy of the sea.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Blown just a few hundred metres further down the coast,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29she would have reached the harbour safely.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32We weren't speaking obviously the same language,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36but they have enough English to tell us they were OK.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40They were, you know, grateful.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57Guarding over 12,000 miles of the UK and Ireland's coastline,
0:09:57 > 0:10:02each of the 238 lifeboat stations battle their own unique conditions.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05But they all face one common enemy.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08You can never tell what the sea's going to actually throw at you.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11The sea's merciless,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13and you just have to realise that
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and keep that in your mind at all times.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I can't say that I know the sea very well.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20I understand the sea.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Know it very well - I wouldn't say,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25because nobody knows what it's going to do.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Never, ever think that you know the sea.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35I love the sea. I do, but I know to respect it.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41You can see how powerful and how spontaneous, if you like,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43the sea can be.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I see the sea as a living, breathing creature.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50You are there at its good grace.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53It's important not to become complacent.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Even on a flat, calm summer's day, anything can go wrong.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58It's like your best friend,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01but you also have to be very aware because that best friend
0:11:01 > 0:11:04could soon grow horns and turn nasty.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08You can be prepared for any eventuality,
0:11:08 > 0:11:09and something else will crop up.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14It's split-second things, and there is no safety net.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Just 50 miles from the centre of London,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28sitting at the mouth of the Thames Estuary,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Sheerness as a proud seafaring history.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36It was the sight of a Royal Navy dockyard for nearly 400 years
0:11:36 > 0:11:39and has been a lifeboat station here since 1970.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Where was that yacht that was anchored?
0:11:42 > 0:11:43It was further down here, wasn't it?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46At the point here, isn't it?
0:11:46 > 0:11:4827 volunteers guard one of the most peculiar
0:11:48 > 0:11:51patches around. When a call comes in,
0:11:51 > 0:11:52they can find themselves
0:11:52 > 0:11:55in some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Or they can be called upriver into a myriad of waterways
0:11:59 > 0:12:03and some of the quietest backwaters in the country.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06You've got the river, where you've got all the different creeks.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09You've got mud banks. You've got different size of tide,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13so it makes it an interesting station to be on, I think.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17And you don't have to love mud to work here, but it helps.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21As the tide drops, it exposes acres of oozing mud flats,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25criss-crossed with uncharted banks, creeks and channels.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30Navigating this eerie mire can even leave the most experienced mud lark
0:12:30 > 0:12:31scratching his head.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34A lot of these charts, when you go into the creeks...
0:12:34 > 0:12:39Because generally it costs a lot of money to survey the area.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41The river gets surveyed cos there's commercial big ships
0:12:41 > 0:12:45in this sort of area, but in the creeks, these areas aren't surveyed.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46Haven't been surveyed for a long time.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48There's a lot of buoys that are lit.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51But once you get into the creeks, there's no buoys that are lit,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54so it'll be like driving down a country lane with no lights.
0:13:01 > 0:13:02SIREN BLARES
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Just before midnight, the Sheerness crew get an urgent page.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Tonight, the coastguard has called them upriver -
0:13:09 > 0:13:11someone is in the water,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13somewhere in the Medway estuary.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18The information given was someone in a house could hear some shouting.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Wasn't sure where it was coming from, so obviously they phoned 999.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26The crew launch their inshore lifeboat.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Highly manoeuvrable, it's designed
0:13:29 > 0:13:31to float in just a few inches of water.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34But on an ebb tide, with the water in retreat,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37even the inshore lifeboat can't float on mud.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43We was going at the best speed we could
0:13:43 > 0:13:45because it does dry out when the tide's out.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50We knew we had to be quick to get in there,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53deal with the casualty and get out again, or else we'd get stranded.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00With the sea temperature under 12 degrees,
0:14:00 > 0:14:05for anyone in the water, hypothermia can set in within 15 minutes.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07As the body starts shutting down,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09exhaustion and unconsciousness follow.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13In the pitch dark, all the crew can do is head in the general direction
0:14:13 > 0:14:15of where the shouts were last heard.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Five minutes after launch, the coastguard radio with an update.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25The shouts for help have stopped.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27We still wasn't that close yet, and you're thinking,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31"We need to get there quick, and I still need to get there safely."
0:14:31 > 0:14:34To make matters worse, the tide's going out.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Anyone in the water could be swept past them in the dark
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and out to sea.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41And the more the tide retreats,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44the harder it is to navigate the emerging mud flats.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Now, with no more screams to guide them,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50the odds against finding anyone are rising fast.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55We put up some paraflares, which illuminate the area,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59so it's a flare that glows white and lights the whole area up,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01to see if we could see him in the water.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06RADIO CRACKLES
0:15:12 > 0:15:14There's somebody there!
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Finally, half an hour after the call came in, they spot the casualty.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20It's a man in his 60s.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24He appears unconscious, caught in the anchor line of a moored yacht.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26A passing boatman has grabbed hold of him
0:15:26 > 0:15:28and is trying to pull him to safety.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Started trying to drag the casualty down the side of the boat and
0:15:32 > 0:15:33tried to drag him into his boat.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The engine was still engaged, so we was still going forward
0:15:38 > 0:15:40whilst holding on to the casualty's life jacket.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46The casualty's just inches from the propeller.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48The crew must act fast.
0:15:52 > 0:15:53You all right, Chris?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- ON RADIO:- Sheppey Mobile to coastguard, over.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Coastguard. Sheppey. On the scene...
0:16:10 > 0:16:12He wasn't responding to Chris.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14I could hear him shouting to the casualty
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and trying to get a response out of him. He wasn't responding at all.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Coastguard, over.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28- OK, grab on to that handle.- Yep.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- Will do.- Ready?
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- Yep.- Got it now?- Got hold.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37OK. Ready. On three. One, two...
0:16:37 > 0:16:41The crew still have no idea how long the man was in the water
0:16:41 > 0:16:43before his shouts were heard.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45But it's clear he's in advanced stages of hypothermia.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49He was extremely blue.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51I've never seen anyone that cold at all.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53He was still breathing. You could see he was breathing,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57but he wasn't responding to anything that we were shouting at him.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- ON RADIO:- Sheppey Mobile. Say again your last, over.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I need to get this guy to some treatment, to an ambulance now.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11Paramedics are standing by at a slipway a few hundred metres away.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Slipway. Are you all right?
0:17:16 > 0:17:19I'm OK. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Suddenly, as the crew approach shore, there are signs of life.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Experienced sailor Ken was transferring tools from his dinghy
0:17:40 > 0:17:44to his yacht, when he lost his balance and slipped into the water.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48A wave went past and it caught in the safety lines of the boat,
0:17:48 > 0:17:49and I tipped into the water.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I thought, "What a bloody idiot!
0:17:51 > 0:17:52"You stupid old git."
0:17:58 > 0:18:01I didn't instantly call for help
0:18:01 > 0:18:04because I didn't think anyone would hear me.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12I've always been self-reliant - or stubborn I think is more the word.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15I fell in under my own steam.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I must get out under my own steam.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22It was after Ken's first hour in the water that he accepted he couldn't
0:18:22 > 0:18:24save himself.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29The tide was now running out and I was in such a weakened state,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33I thought, "Well, if I don't get to shore or climb on to the mud
0:18:33 > 0:18:37"of some kind, I know I'm not going to be here,"
0:18:37 > 0:18:38and I managed to get along
0:18:38 > 0:18:43to the next boat along, and grabbed hold of its mooring buoy,
0:18:43 > 0:18:48which is where I clung and started then to...shout for assistance.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54I was...resolved. If I was going to die, then, hey ho!
0:18:56 > 0:18:57This is it.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Mind your fingers.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03By the time he was rescued,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Ken had been in the water for over two hours.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Someone shone a torch in my face,
0:19:09 > 0:19:10and at that point...
0:19:12 > 0:19:13..I blanked out.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22When we heard he was in the water for two hours,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25we were extremely shocked that he was still alive.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29How he survived as long as he did, I don't know.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36He probably only had 15, maybe 30 minutes left.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40I don't know, but it was lucky, I think, we got there when we did.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48I was extremely surprised that the situation escalated quickly,
0:19:48 > 0:19:54and it just illustrates just how something which you don't anticipate
0:19:54 > 0:19:56quickly goes wrong.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Between the RNLI and my life jacket, they saved my life.
0:20:09 > 0:20:10End of story.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21The ever-changing seas around our coastline can catch out
0:20:21 > 0:20:25even the most experienced seafarer at any time of the year.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27But it's in the summer months,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31when hordes of oblivious sun-seekers dive into our unpredictable seas,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33that the RNLI are at their busiest,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37and their ranks are swelled by an army of lifeguards.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40With bases at over 240 beaches,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43they save over 100 lives every summer season.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46I love being a lifeguard, it's the best job in the world.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50I never wake up in the morning and think, "I don't want to go to work,"
0:20:50 > 0:20:52it doesn't matter what the conditions.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54How does the lifeguards differ from the lifeboatmen?
0:20:54 > 0:20:56They're a bit chubbier!
0:21:02 > 0:21:04One of the most popular beaches in the south-west
0:21:04 > 0:21:06is here at Woolacombe, in Devon.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Woolacombe's one of the busiest lifeguarded beaches in the country.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15A bit of a magnet for people coming down south.
0:21:15 > 0:21:21On a summer's day, it can reach sort of 10,000 people, plus.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Obviously, surf changes through the day, wind changes,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27things happen and things go wrong.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32On a summer's day, a two-metre swell has brought families and surfers to
0:21:32 > 0:21:36the beach, and the lifeguards already have a problem in the water.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40A bodyboarder is in trouble out beyond the break.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42The crew launch in under two minutes.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Another lifeguard, already in the water,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46has reached her on a rescue board.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50We could see Niall maybe 150-200 metres out to sea.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52He's asking for assistance.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Niall's very capable on a rescue board,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59so for him not to be able to bring a casualty in
0:21:59 > 0:22:01makes you start thinking,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03"OK, there's got to be... There's a reason why."
0:22:07 > 0:22:09On the way out,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12we still didn't really have an idea what we were attending to.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21As soon as we got to the casualty,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and then Niall was there, on the board, next to her,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26and he was telling us she had a dislocated shoulder.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33When I first saw her, I thought she was just kind of paddling around on
0:22:33 > 0:22:36her board, didn't really, like, think she was in danger,
0:22:36 > 0:22:37but then as I got closer,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39I kind of noticed that she was a bit distressed.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I asked her if she would be able to get onto the board, and she couldn't
0:22:42 > 0:22:45pull herself up, and then she slowly just went downhill.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51She was in so much pain, she was starting to become unresponsive.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Needed to get her back to the shore as quick as possible.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00We were in that area where, every now and again,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02a bigger set would come through.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Whipped up by the wind,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08the waves here can build up across thousands of miles of ocean.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Notoriously difficult to predict,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13they hit the beach in sets of different sizes.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17If the crew are hit by a big roller, it could capsize their boat.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Guys, I need to turn the boat around, quick.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24The boat crew must make another circuit
0:23:24 > 0:23:26to get into a better position.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28While the casualty struggles in the water,
0:23:28 > 0:23:29just a few hundred metres away,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33her husband and eight-year-old daughter are oblivious
0:23:33 > 0:23:34to the battle to save her.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36I was walking down across the beach
0:23:36 > 0:23:40and I happened to walk past a lifeguard.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43The lad asked if my wife was out at sea.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46I answered yes,
0:23:46 > 0:23:47with that kind of tendency of,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50"Why is the lifeguard asking me this?"
0:23:50 > 0:23:53And he said, "Oh, I think your wife has hurt her shoulder."
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Got to the shore, and I'm looking over, and all I can see is the boat
0:24:01 > 0:24:02bobbing around behind the waves,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05but it's a very broken view because the waves were so huge that day.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11My biggest fear was that they were actually working on her
0:24:11 > 0:24:14on the boat, and that was maybe why they weren't bringing her in.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Realistically, you think,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22"How long does it take to pull someone into a boat and bring them
0:24:22 > 0:24:24"back in again? So they must be doing something else,"
0:24:24 > 0:24:28and that something else was the spiral that was feeding my fear,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30my mind was taking me to the worst place.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32It was taking too long.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Timing their approach with the incoming waves,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40the crew make another attempt to get the surfer, Sam, on board.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53SAM YELLS IN PAIN
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I'd gone out to seek really big waves,
0:25:06 > 0:25:07and they were breaking,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09and every sort of third
0:25:09 > 0:25:11or fourth wave was a really big one.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13SAM SCREAMS IN PAIN
0:25:13 > 0:25:17This wave just grabbed the board
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and ripped it from my arms,
0:25:19 > 0:25:20and I immediately knew
0:25:20 > 0:25:23that my shoulder was dislocated.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27You feel as though every nerve in your arm is on fire - it burns.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33I was so far out, but yet...
0:25:33 > 0:25:37I could see life happening on the beach.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42That almost made it worse, because I felt like saying,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45"Why can't you help me?"
0:25:45 > 0:25:47You know, "Please, someone see me.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49"I'm here."
0:25:52 > 0:25:54I thought I was going to die at that point.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57That was the point that I thought I was going to drown.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05Getting pulled into the boat was just the best feeling in the world.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12To know that I was going to see my daughter again was fantastic.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16And I just thought, "I'm alive, and these guys are amazing."
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Watch it, hold up, hold up.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28By the time the boat came in,
0:26:28 > 0:26:29I was so...
0:26:30 > 0:26:34..anxious to see what was going on, I had to see.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38I kind of didn't want to look, but I had to know, had to see.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44The first thing I saw was Sam laid on her side...
0:26:45 > 0:26:48..spooning, I would describe spooning
0:26:48 > 0:26:51with the hunkiest lifeguard you have ever seen.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56The relief of, "All right,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00"she looks in terrible pain but she looks very much alive,"
0:27:00 > 0:27:03washed over me, and the only thing I could say was, "Really?!"
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Just at the sight of her spooning with this guy.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Can you get your hand to hold on to that zip?
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- No, that one.- No, I can't even...
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- SHE SCREAMS IN PAIN - Don't move the hand.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15That will keep it really steady...
0:27:15 > 0:27:18All the team can do now is help Sam with the pain
0:27:18 > 0:27:20while they await an ambulance.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Had this happened on land,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25it would have been a very simple call
0:27:25 > 0:27:29or even me being driven to a hospital.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35But at sea, it turned into something far more dangerous.
0:27:36 > 0:27:42And it just makes you realise how strong those waves can be,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46even on a lovely July day,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48and, yeah, I'm really, really lucky.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I'm so sorry, I'm sorry.
0:27:54 > 0:27:59- It's OK.- Oh, Jesus Christ, you have no idea. I've had three kids...
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Sam came back down the next day just to thank all the lifeguards, really,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05and the effort they put in.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Obviously, especially Niall, for keeping her afloat in the water.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- Am I squishing you?- No, that's OK.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15- Cos I am quite big.- No, you're not.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17She came down to the beach a couple of days later
0:28:17 > 0:28:19to say thank you, yeah.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24And we said, "Go and get a shoulder operation!"
0:28:35 > 0:28:40The RNLI has been saving lives since it was founded in 1824.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44Just two years later, they built their first station in Ireland.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48Today, there are 46 stations guarding the entire coast,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50including here at Kinsale.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55This stretch of coast,
0:28:55 > 0:28:59a mixture of hard red sandstone with veins of softer rock,
0:28:59 > 0:29:03has been shaped over millennia by the pounding of the Atlantic.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06It's created a shoreline of breathtaking beauty,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09but also deadly risks.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12From huge natural harbours like Cork,
0:29:12 > 0:29:16to steep cliffs littered with long, narrow caves and a sea bed of sharp
0:29:16 > 0:29:18rocks, the unpredictable seas
0:29:18 > 0:29:22are ready to catch out any unwary seafarer.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24After 14 years' service,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28helmsman Nick Searls knows the dangers of this coastline
0:29:28 > 0:29:30all too well.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33I would definitely think I have very good local knowledge.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36I got to know maybe those places
0:29:36 > 0:29:38a lot of people would never go on boats,
0:29:38 > 0:29:40but I got that from people,
0:29:40 > 0:29:44like older men in the community that would give you that advice.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Definitely, over the years, there's been a couple of shouts
0:29:47 > 0:29:49where, you know, we've had to get in close to rocks
0:29:49 > 0:29:53to get people off safely, so it does pay off.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57One of those shouts was on a July day in 2013.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06When the call comes in,
0:30:06 > 0:30:09all the crew know is that a sailing ship has been blown onto rocks,
0:30:09 > 0:30:11just a mile from Kinsale harbour.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15But with the next coastguard update,
0:30:15 > 0:30:17the full scale of the job is revealed.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20The coastguard said, "30 persons on board."
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Most of them were children.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Well, it was a bit of a game-changer.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28A sailing ship, The Astrid,
0:30:28 > 0:30:32was on her way to take part in an international flotilla,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35when she lost engine power and was washed onto shore.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39Strong waves are now pushing her even further up the rocks,
0:30:39 > 0:30:41and her hull is beginning to break up.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44On board are six crew and 24 trainees,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47some as young as 15.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51The coastguard has called in every lifeboat within 60 miles.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54The Kinsale crew arrive first.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56When we got there, the boat was sinking.
0:30:58 > 0:30:59The children were on deck.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02They were very, very frightened.
0:31:02 > 0:31:03They thought this was it.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08There were rocks underneath it
0:31:08 > 0:31:11and the waves were crashing onto it.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14It was in imminent danger, basically.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Nick, with a steely look in his eye...
0:31:17 > 0:31:20I remember he looked at us, the both of us, and he said,
0:31:20 > 0:31:22"Grand, we'll take them all."
0:31:22 > 0:31:26Getting the lifeboat in close, Nick jumps aboard the stricken ship.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29We decided, I'll go on board,
0:31:29 > 0:31:32and we'll get off as many as we could and ferry them
0:31:32 > 0:31:34out to other vessels that were close.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Nick starts to evacuate the youngest kids into the lifeboat.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40A few at a time, they are ferried to waiting boats
0:31:40 > 0:31:43who have also responded to the mayday.
0:31:43 > 0:31:44Got the first 15 off...
0:31:45 > 0:31:47..and then there wasn't an option any more
0:31:47 > 0:31:48for the lifeboat to come in.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54The swell was rising and we had gone further up the rocks,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56so the life rafts were launched.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00As The Astrid succumbs to the sea,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04the lifeboats can no longer safely get alongside.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Nick has to find a faster way to get the remaining kids and crew off.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10He launches the ship's life raft.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19As the last casualty is recovered,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22just one person is left on board the sinking ship.
0:32:24 > 0:32:30Nick stayed on board while we were bringing the crew to safety.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33The boat started to move and go down.
0:32:33 > 0:32:34Nick was still on it.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40I turned around, and then...wave came in.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44Boat went down. So, when I came up, I was stuck.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48As he prepares to abandon ship,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Nick's life jacket catches in the wreckage.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53He is dragged down with it.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55The boat was sinking, basically.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59The area he jumped on was underwater by the time we came back.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03I was under the water.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05I had to undo the life jacket
0:33:05 > 0:33:07and then make my way up to the highest part
0:33:07 > 0:33:10of the ship, and the lads came along and took me off.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18Nick made it safely to shore,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21along with all The Astrid's crew and trainees,
0:33:21 > 0:33:24but it could have been a very different outcome.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Couple of minutes later, it might have been a very different story,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30I would think. I'm not going to presume or guess,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32but it would have been a different story, like.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Do you see yourself as brave?
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Uh... I don't know.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40I've probably been involved in close enough to 200 shouts now,
0:33:40 > 0:33:41and there's nothing the same,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44everything is different, so, really, like,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47when the pager goes off, we have to make the call that we need.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52He didn't leave that boat until every one of them...
0:33:53 > 0:33:54..every person, was saved.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59He stayed, got everyone off.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03We were just lucky that, you know, he was there that day.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20One of Britain's most famous seafaring sons hails from here,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22on the coast of Yorkshire.
0:34:22 > 0:34:27Captain Cook discovered Australia in 1770, in his first command,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29HMS Endeavour.
0:34:30 > 0:34:3532 years later, Whitby's first lifeboat station was established.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Originally built to protect the local fishing fleet,
0:34:38 > 0:34:42one of their most infamous rescues was during World War I.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46A converted hospital ship, the SS Rohilla,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50was on her way to evacuate wounded from Dunkirk when she ran aground on
0:34:50 > 0:34:53a reef in a raging storm.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57Lifeboats from five stations were launched, including Whitby.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59The rescue took three days,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02while crowds gathered on the cliffs watching helplessly.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07In all, 144 lives were saved.
0:35:08 > 0:35:13Today, 34 volunteers guard this wild stretch of coast,
0:35:13 > 0:35:15where the Yorkshire Moors tumble
0:35:15 > 0:35:18into the pounding waters of the North Sea,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22including local landlord and father of two Ian.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23I'll bring your coffee over for you.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26- Yeah.- It'll only be a few minutes. Waiting for the kettle.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Been in Whitby now for just over three years,
0:35:30 > 0:35:32and now we run the local pub here
0:35:32 > 0:35:35and joined up with the lifeboat about 2½ years ago.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Just listening to the lads one night in the pub,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41the crew that was on there at the time,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44we were having a chat and a bit of banter and I thought,
0:35:44 > 0:35:49"Well, my turn. Could be a good opportunity to meet some more people
0:35:49 > 0:35:51"and get involved with the community a bit more."
0:35:52 > 0:35:54£13.10 altogether, please. Thank you much.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58Ian is ready 24/7 to answer the pager's call,
0:35:58 > 0:36:02and when it goes off, the locals can be left to wet their own whistles.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04It makes life interesting.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07There have been times when he'll have been serving
0:36:07 > 0:36:10or just standing here chatting, and then suddenly he's gone.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13He doesn't even say, "Got to go." The pager goes, gone, off.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Have you had to leave the pub mid-serving people before?
0:36:17 > 0:36:20I've left it with customers in charge, yeah.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Yeah. A chap asked me one day, "What happens if that goes off, then,
0:36:23 > 0:36:25"before the other staff get here?"
0:36:25 > 0:36:28I said, "Well, you'll be serving." And he WAS when I got back.
0:36:30 > 0:36:31And when the call comes in,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Ian and the rest of the crew head out into some of the most
0:36:35 > 0:36:37merciless seas around the UK.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42The sea here is very different than most places.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44We have a funny sort of harbour going in and out,
0:36:44 > 0:36:48with a big lip on it, so we can go from flat calm in the harbour
0:36:48 > 0:36:51to 10ft rising waves within minutes.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59The last day of the summer holidays -
0:36:59 > 0:37:02late afternoon, an urgent call comes in.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05SIREN BLARES
0:37:05 > 0:37:07I was at work. I was serving somebody.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Pager went off. I legged it down here, to the station.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13The crew have been called five miles done the coast to Robin Hood's Bay,
0:37:13 > 0:37:15and every parent's worst nightmare.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19A girl paddling on the water's edge has been caught by a rip current and
0:37:19 > 0:37:21dragged out to sea.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25Her father went to save her, but has also been caught.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Rip currents form under the surface of the sea.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29Difficult to spot, they're one
0:37:29 > 0:37:32of the biggest dangers around our shores.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36They can pull the strongest swimmer far out to sea in seconds.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40When you've got fairly big waves going into a beach,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42you could potentially only be up to your knees,
0:37:42 > 0:37:43but if a wave comes up past you,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46that water's got to go back out, and it's very powerful.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49And the more you get into it and the more you try and fight it,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52the more that the waves will just come in and keep pushing you out and
0:37:52 > 0:37:53keep pushing you out.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58The ten-year-old girl and her father were last seen in the water together
0:37:58 > 0:38:00over ten minutes ago.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02It's always serious when there's people in the water
0:38:02 > 0:38:04cos if we don't get there in time, it goes bad.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07I put two and two together and realised, "Well,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10"that's the same age as my daughter, could have been me and my daughter."
0:38:10 > 0:38:12You are preparing for the worst, but you're hoping
0:38:12 > 0:38:14the worst is not going to be there when you get there.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17They could be overwhelmed by the swell,
0:38:17 > 0:38:20waves over their head relentlessly.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23But then also, in a water temperature of about 14 degrees
0:38:23 > 0:38:27in the summer, hypothermia is going to start to set in.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31And it is going to start to cut off the blood supply to the extremities,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34to the limbs, and you can't use them to tread water.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36You're going to drown.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40With no idea how far the rip current has pulled
0:38:40 > 0:38:44them out, both Whitby's inshore and all-weather lifeboats are launched.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52The first reaches Robin Hood's Bay in ten minutes
0:38:52 > 0:38:54and begins to search.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57But the swell and strong winds have whipped the surface of the sea
0:38:57 > 0:38:58into a maelstrom.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03If it was a nice, calm day,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06we would have been able to pick them out straightaway.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09But, cos of the conditions, you couldn't see anyone.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16The spray off the waves alone was making visibility for all of us
0:39:16 > 0:39:18really, really bad. You know,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21it just looked like a torrent of rain across the sea.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23Wasn't just a case of looking for two little dots,
0:39:23 > 0:39:25we couldn't see our own boat at times.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28It's now been nearly an hour since the father and daughter were swept
0:39:28 > 0:39:31- off the beach.- Very anxious.
0:39:31 > 0:39:32An anxious feeling.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Knowing that any hold-up could mean the difference
0:39:38 > 0:39:40between them being here or not.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47The coastguard have rescue teams onshore scanning the sea and have
0:39:47 > 0:39:49scrambled a search and rescue helicopter.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Suddenly, from the skies,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54something's spotted in the water.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00All of a sudden, the downdraught of the helicopter
0:40:00 > 0:40:02just flattened the waves.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08I could see two heads bobbing up and down together.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Our radio operator, Jamie, just shouted on the radio,
0:40:12 > 0:40:14"We've got them, we've got them."
0:40:17 > 0:40:20The relief that came over me was unbelievable.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25You know, I was still thinking, "Well, we still need to treat them.
0:40:25 > 0:40:26"They've been in the water a long time.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29"They could be injured cos they've been battered about a little bit in
0:40:29 > 0:40:31"the surf and things like that,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34"and there could be that potential of hypothermia,
0:40:34 > 0:40:38"it could have started to set in, but they're alive!"
0:40:38 > 0:40:42The little girl is pulled to safety followed by her exhausted father.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45He spent almost an hour treading water
0:40:45 > 0:40:46while clinging on to her.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49I don't think they would have carried on for much longer,
0:40:49 > 0:40:51judging by the state of the father, to be honest with you.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55I mean, he was absolutely done in, he was so tired.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58The little girl was crying her eyes out,
0:40:58 > 0:41:00I don't think Dad was far behind.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04I don't think most of us were far behind, to be honest with you.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07Ben and Grace are both showing signs of hypothermia.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11To get them to hospital as fast as possible, they're evacuated by air.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16It's the end of an ordeal that began with just a paddle in the sea.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Grace is a real water baby.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20She loves going in the sea,
0:41:20 > 0:41:22so we were splashing around
0:41:22 > 0:41:24down on the beach,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27getting a little bit more adventurous, going up to our waist.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33Then Grace went off to one side, and then I thought,
0:41:33 > 0:41:36"Well, maybe I should go and try and get a bit closer to her
0:41:36 > 0:41:38"cos she seems to be getting further away."
0:41:40 > 0:41:44I took hold of Grace and, you know, tried to walk her into the beach,
0:41:44 > 0:41:48but the sand was disappearing underneath us.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51The current was too strong and we just got pushed further away.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54In just a few minutes,
0:41:54 > 0:41:58the rip current had carried Ben and Grace hundreds of metres out to sea.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00I couldn't hear anything
0:42:00 > 0:42:02over the sound of the breakers.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05They were crashing over our heads.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07We could hardly see the shore.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Grace was panicking, I couldn't grab hold of her,
0:42:11 > 0:42:15and I could feel myself struggling to keep above water.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Ben decided to try and make an improvised floatation device
0:42:19 > 0:42:22by filling his shirt with air.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25I couldn't take the shirt off without letting go of her.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29It got to the stage where I thought,
0:42:29 > 0:42:31"We've got to do something,"
0:42:31 > 0:42:33and so I pushed her away.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Then she went under
0:42:37 > 0:42:40and I...pulled her back up again.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46She was laid on her back and the little floatation device
0:42:46 > 0:42:48was just behind her head.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Grace had said,
0:42:53 > 0:42:55"I'm getting cold now, Daddy."
0:42:55 > 0:42:56You know...
0:42:58 > 0:43:00"I don't want to die. Are we going to be OK?"
0:43:07 > 0:43:11It was at that point that we heard the helicopter go over.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29You start to think about, if that was me,
0:43:29 > 0:43:33if that was my child or anything like that, could I have done it?
0:43:33 > 0:43:37And I think I would probably struggle to tread water for 30 to
0:43:37 > 0:43:4140 minutes myself, let alone holding on to a young girl.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48People say to us, you know, "You did a really good job there,"
0:43:48 > 0:43:49you know, "You're a hero."
0:43:49 > 0:43:51We weren't the heroes on that day,
0:43:51 > 0:43:55that guy was the hero for holding on and doing what he did.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01It's determination, pure determination, willpower.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04You know, he's got his daughter,
0:44:04 > 0:44:06probably the thing he loves most in the world, in his arms
0:44:06 > 0:44:09and if he gives in, she's a goner.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21I was smiling for weeks afterwards,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24and I think it's mainly cos the first words out of her mouth were
0:44:24 > 0:44:28"thank you". And you think you're going through the thick of it here,
0:44:28 > 0:44:31but what a polite kid.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34I've got kids myself so,
0:44:34 > 0:44:36yeah, pulls at the heartstrings, doesn't it?
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Was that the first time you'd ever saved anyone's life?
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Yes. Yes, it was, yes.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48I went back to work and I was floating, I was buzzing.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50I was absolutely on cloud nine.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56I only had half an hour left of my shift, so it was great!
0:45:04 > 0:45:07Expecting the unexpected comes with the territory.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11The only thing the volunteers know for sure is that they'll be facing
0:45:11 > 0:45:13the same old adversary.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15Anyone who spends any time at sea
0:45:15 > 0:45:19quickly develops a very healthy respect for it.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23We are winning the battle, but we are never going to win the war
0:45:23 > 0:45:25cos the sea has always got a trick up its sleeve.
0:45:27 > 0:45:32If it decides one day that, "Yeah, I'm going to wash you off the boat,"
0:45:32 > 0:45:34then you are going off the boat.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39You're almost riding it.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41It's like it's an untameable beast.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45You can't fight it.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47You sort of have to go with it.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49People liken it to being in a washing machine
0:45:49 > 0:45:50on a high spin round.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56When you've got that force of water coming on to you - cold water,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59this isn't a bath or a swimming pool, this is the sea -
0:45:59 > 0:46:04you can't see help coming, and how long do you cling on for?
0:46:04 > 0:46:06How long do you keep your head above the water?
0:46:08 > 0:46:11If you know that help is on its way, you can relax,
0:46:11 > 0:46:12but if you don't know it's on its way,
0:46:12 > 0:46:15it's one of the most loneliest places on the planet.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27It's not just our coastal waters that can catch out the unwary.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29There are nine lifeboat stations
0:46:29 > 0:46:32standing guard over the nation's lakes and rivers.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Four protect the length of the Thames.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37The busiest is here at Tower.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40On Tower's patch,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43the fast-flowing freshwater of the Thames meets the full force of the
0:46:43 > 0:46:46incoming saltwater tide.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50Combined with the bridges, boats and underwater obstacles,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53it creates a lethal mixture of eddies, undertones
0:46:53 > 0:46:55and confusing currents.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00The Tower crew must take on these unpredictable waters
0:47:00 > 0:47:02every time they launch.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06The first time I was on a boat on that river,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08I realised what a dangerous river it was.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13You've got tides running faster than the sea because they're confined
0:47:13 > 0:47:15between very narrow embankments.
0:47:17 > 0:47:18Cos you've got the river flow
0:47:18 > 0:47:20coming out and the tidal flow coming in,
0:47:20 > 0:47:23you've got freshwater and saltwater meeting,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25so you get this almost corkscrew effect.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29So, if you're in the water, it's not just a case of moving laterally,
0:47:29 > 0:47:31you get pulled down as well.
0:47:33 > 0:47:34If you are in the water,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36you find yourself in difficulty very, very quickly.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40The weather's...
0:47:40 > 0:47:42The wind strength is two,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45and the wind direction is north-northwest.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47That's about it. No faults on the boat,
0:47:47 > 0:47:49everything is pretty good to rock and roll.
0:47:53 > 0:47:5610:30 on a cold March night.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00SIREN BLARES
0:48:00 > 0:48:03The coastguard call out the Tower crew on an urgent job.
0:48:05 > 0:48:06There's a person in the river.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Whenever you hear that someone is in the water,
0:48:11 > 0:48:12certainly on the river,
0:48:12 > 0:48:16100% you know straightaway that it is time critical.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33The man fell into the water six miles down river.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37At a top speed of 40 knots, the crew are less than ten minutes away.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40But with water temperatures as low as eight degrees,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42the shock of immersion can kill in minutes.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49The biggest problem that people face when they end up in cold water is
0:48:49 > 0:48:51cold shock, cold water shock,
0:48:51 > 0:48:55and what this does is it constricts the blood vessels in the skin.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59You then start to lose the power in your muscles.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04It's the muscles which operate the lungs on the outside
0:49:04 > 0:49:07that can't pull the ribcage open properly,
0:49:07 > 0:49:11so rapidly you lose that extra air and buoyancy.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15And then your mouth goes beneath the surface,
0:49:15 > 0:49:18and everything gets very bad for you.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22The 53-year-old man, a tourist from Turkey,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25had been taking a stroll by the river with friends and family,
0:49:25 > 0:49:27when he disappeared.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31All of a sudden we heard the splash.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34We turned around and looked, and he wasn't there.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37I ran to the edge of the wall and I looked over,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40and I couldn't see nothing, so I thought to myself,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43"If he's gone in there, he's gone."
0:49:46 > 0:49:47Well, the first thing is, falling,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50you could land on something hard on your way to the water,
0:49:50 > 0:49:51so will there be any broken bones?
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Is he going to be having any problems breathing?
0:49:53 > 0:49:56Is he going to stay afloat until we get there?
0:49:57 > 0:50:00Up ahead, the crew spot Deptford Creek.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04A police boat is already on the scene but can't fit under the bridge
0:50:04 > 0:50:07across the entrance to get to the casualty.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11When we arrived in Deptford Creek,
0:50:11 > 0:50:16we saw that a gentleman was holding on to part of the embankment wall,
0:50:16 > 0:50:18holding on for dear life, really.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23He was on a little ledge just under the wall,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25amazingly wearing a life jacket,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28but he was still in the water and in a really inaccessible spot,
0:50:28 > 0:50:30and there was no way out for him.
0:50:31 > 0:50:36You could see that he was, without a doubt, very, very scared.
0:50:36 > 0:50:37Port side.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41Wedged under the embankment,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43the 53-year-old is balanced precariously,
0:50:43 > 0:50:45half in and half out of the water.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52We are having to move very gently and very carefully at low speed
0:50:52 > 0:50:54to get very close to him without pinning him
0:50:54 > 0:50:56between the boat and the wall,
0:50:56 > 0:50:58which would crush him to death.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Stay there for a second. Hang on a minute, mate.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Wait.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10Grab my hand.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13Finally in position,
0:51:13 > 0:51:16the crew now need to persuade the freezing casualty
0:51:16 > 0:51:20to lower himself back into the water, so they can lift him out.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26- OK, mate. What's your name?- Ismail.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29OK. We're going to bring you up and over the sponson, OK?
0:51:29 > 0:51:31We first try to get him over the side of the boat,
0:51:31 > 0:51:32the port side of the boat.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35One, two, three...
0:51:36 > 0:51:39Hang on, just bring your arm round the back.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44- Clamp your legs.- But we didn't realise how big a gentleman he was.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46- Try and help us, mate. - There we are.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49That's it, see if you can get your leg up on this rope.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53He was actually quite heavy, and normally,
0:51:53 > 0:51:56quite often we bring people over the bow of the boat,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59but we decided that for this particular incident,
0:51:59 > 0:52:01we'd take him over the stern platform.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04Just nice and gently, just start coming round.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Just bring it back that way.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09OK. Keep coming with us, all right?
0:52:09 > 0:52:12Nearly there. Just watch that line.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15We had got a good hold of him and we were able to get him round to the
0:52:15 > 0:52:17stern of the boat and lift him in.
0:52:21 > 0:52:22Well done.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26Just get your breath for a minute.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28Get a couple of blankets.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35Just relax, don't worry.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38- What did you say your name was? - Ismail.- Ismail?- Yeah.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Ismail, we're going to just sit you up.
0:53:05 > 0:53:06I'm going to lean you back.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18The water's very cold, isn't it?
0:53:18 > 0:53:20The water's very cold.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Very cold. So just relax. No problem.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25He was in quite a lot of shock.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28And I think he was... He had been in a bad place,
0:53:28 > 0:53:31been quite worried that he might not make it out.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33Yeah, and he was in a very dangerous place.
0:53:33 > 0:53:34He was also very, very cold.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37So, how long he would have been able to hold on for, how much longer,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40- we're not sure.- No, no hospital. I'm very good.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43That's fine. But at the moment, you're on the lifeboat,
0:53:43 > 0:53:45we need to get you somewhere where we can get you off
0:53:45 > 0:53:48and get you checked over, all right? So you just relax for the moment.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13The crew take Ismail to a waiting ambulance at a nearby pier.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16En route, he reveals the cause of his late-night dip in the Thames.
0:54:24 > 0:54:25OK.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29- My foot...- Your foot slipped.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Straight in, OK. All right.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12It was certainly, the first selfie-related shout
0:55:12 > 0:55:13that I've been on. Or that I've known about.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Put that over your head for now.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Let's get that round you.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21Things happen, people take risks.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25How many times do we take risks and we don't fall off a ladder,
0:55:25 > 0:55:27or we don't fall down the stairs,
0:55:27 > 0:55:29or we don't fall off our bike?
0:55:29 > 0:55:32Luckily, there were people who got to him and rescued him.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34But it could have been catastrophic.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Just get your breath for a minute.
0:56:11 > 0:56:12Since his accident,
0:56:12 > 0:56:16Ismail has decided to cut back on the selfie-taking.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33In Devon, Sam the surfer who dislocated her shoulder
0:56:33 > 0:56:35is still waiting for an operation.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37But she hasn't let the experience
0:56:37 > 0:56:40put her off visiting her favourite beach.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44I love this beach, I've been coming here for the last 17 years.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47At one point, I didn't think I'd ever see this beach again.
0:56:47 > 0:56:48Or my family.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52Hi, pals.
0:56:52 > 0:56:53Hi.
0:56:54 > 0:56:59They rescued a woman in distress with a dislocated shoulder,
0:56:59 > 0:57:03but they also saved a mum, a daughter, a sister, a wife.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05I'm not going in there!
0:57:05 > 0:57:07I don't think I'm going to be
0:57:07 > 0:57:10searching for those big waves any time soon.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13But I'll certainly be back in the sea, absolutely.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18And after being treated at hospital for hypothermia,
0:57:18 > 0:57:22Ben and his daughter Grace were both discharged.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24- Ah, there she blows. - There she blows.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28Today, Ben's back at Whitby lifeboat station for the first time.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30To save my daughter,
0:57:30 > 0:57:33it's just...it's just epic.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35Lee's got young children, I've got young children.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38That's what brings it home. It's like, you know, what you did -
0:57:38 > 0:57:42treading water and holding on to your daughter...
0:57:42 > 0:57:43You saved her, not us.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45Ben's definitely the hero.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48- Definitely. - I'm really embarrassed now.
0:57:48 > 0:57:50THEY LAUGH
0:57:50 > 0:57:52SIREN BLARES
0:57:54 > 0:57:57For a while, as hard as we were swimming,
0:57:57 > 0:57:59we couldn't get away from the boat.
0:57:59 > 0:58:03They were in the worst possible place, at the worst possible time.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05To see someone disappear under the water
0:58:05 > 0:58:07right in front of you...is brutal.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09It's absolutely horrendous.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11Oh, my gosh.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13We thought that, "We've lost him, it's too late."