0:00:02 > 0:00:07We're an island nation, drawn to the sea that surrounds us.
0:00:07 > 0:00:08For many, it's a playground.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12For others, it's where we earn our living.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15But the sea's unpredictable...
0:00:17 > 0:00:19..and can change in an instant.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23And when accidents happen, they happened very fast.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25The sea is a dangerous place.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29If you 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 > 0:00:37of nearly 5,000 ordinary people ready to leave their jobs,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40their 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 person wouldn't be here.
0:00:48 > 0:00:54They rescued me, but they also saved a mum, daughter, 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...
0:00:59 > 0:01:01..is brutal. It's absolutely horrendous.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Equipped with their own cameras...
0:01:05 > 0:01:06It is my light flashing?
0:01:06 > 0:01:07- Yeah.- Is mine?
0:01:07 > 0:01:10..the crews give us a unique insight into every call-out
0:01:10 > 0:01:12as only they see it.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16- Right, there's another little wave. - Oh!
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 > 0:01:27For those who risk their lives,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30it has become a way of life.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33When those pagers go off, it's life and death.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49A sunny spring day on Belfast Lough on the coast of the Irish Sea.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51ALARM WAILS
0:01:51 > 0:01:53The volunteers at Bangor get a call for help.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59The Coastguard has received several 999 calls from members of the public
0:01:59 > 0:02:01concerned about a group of paddleboarders
0:02:01 > 0:02:03being blown out to sea.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05- OK, everybody?- OK.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10As the crew ready to launch, word comes in that they're teenage girls.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12I think the atmosphere changes considerably
0:02:12 > 0:02:14when the shout is for children.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16- All clear?- OK, all clear.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I've got three young children myself and, as a dad,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22I couldn't think of anything worse than my child being lost at sea,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26so it's a real focus of... "Get that boat in the water,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29"get it launched and get round there and get searching."
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The crew gun their B-class Atlantic lifeboat
0:02:34 > 0:02:36to its top speed of 35 knots.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39They're racing the wind that's blowing off the land
0:02:39 > 0:02:40and taking the girls with it.
0:02:41 > 0:02:47An offshore wind is when the wind blows from the land to the sea.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49So the sea can look calm,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52but as that wind picks up further out to sea,
0:02:52 > 0:02:53then it starts to get rough.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57We knew the area that we had to go to,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59but because it was an offshore wind,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and it was a particularly strong offshore wind,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03they were actually being blown directly out
0:03:03 > 0:03:05into the Irish Sea, into the shipping channel.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08The two 14-year-old girls
0:03:08 > 0:03:11are heading into the only passage for ships into Belfast...
0:03:11 > 0:03:13HORN BLARES
0:03:13 > 0:03:15..the busiest port in Northern Ireland.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Belfast Lough is particularly busy with shipping activity.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25You have main shipping links with Belfast to Scotland,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Belfast to Isle of Man and Belfast to Liverpool,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31as well as cruise ships that come in, so there are large ships around.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32They do come in quite closely.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Commercial vessels and ferries and things like that
0:03:37 > 0:03:40will come in and out pretty much right down the middle of the lough.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Bigger ships and container ships and things
0:03:42 > 0:03:45would come in to shelter as well, if it's stormy out in the Irish Sea,
0:03:45 > 0:03:47so it's quite a busy lough.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51A paddleboard in the shipping lane could be...
0:03:51 > 0:03:52you know, worst-case scenario.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Now it's a race to find the girls and hope the lifeboat reaches them
0:03:58 > 0:04:00before a larger ship does.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05They are small.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09They may not get seen by the passing ships.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It doesn't bear thinking about what might happen if...
0:04:12 > 0:04:14if a ship didn't see them.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Half-a-mile out from where the teenagers left shore,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35they spot a sailing dinghy.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37It's stopped next to the girls,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39waiting with them until help arrives.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44How many are there of you?
0:04:44 > 0:04:45- Two?- Yeah, just the two.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Do you want to let the Coastguard know?
0:04:49 > 0:04:50Bring them on board.
0:04:53 > 0:04:54Thank you.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- RADIO:- Are you bringing them into Ballyholme, over?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Yeah. Are you girls all right?
0:04:59 > 0:05:00- Yeah.- Sure? Not too cold?
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- No, we're fine.- OK, we're going to go and pick up your paddleboard.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07We're rescued, I'm going to laugh.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The crew confirms the girls are the missing teenagers, Jenni and Beth.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Although cold, wet and shaken,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15they are otherwise OK and can be returned to the yacht club
0:05:15 > 0:05:18where they started out on what was meant to be an afternoon
0:05:18 > 0:05:20messing about on the water.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23We were having a laugh, pushing each other off, like,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25having a good swim around.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28One person would stand on and the other person would, like, shake it.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Oh, it was class.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33We just weren't paying attention and started drifting.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35When we tried to get back, it was just not working at all.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37The wind was pushing against us.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Kind of like the current and the wind against us.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43It was like when we were pushing, it was pulling us back even more,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- so it was, like, "Oh, no."- Yeah.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47There's a paddleboard there, just on our nose.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52INTERVIEWER: What area of the water were you effectively in?
0:05:52 > 0:05:53Like, in the...
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- Like, in the ship...- The ship...
0:05:56 > 0:05:57The shipping channel.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00We could see the Stena Line.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Yeah, the Stena Line passed us.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04We were worried in case we got, like, really close to it
0:06:04 > 0:06:06that we got caught in the propellers,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08but that was just me overthinking things.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13That was the hard part, not having...
0:06:13 > 0:06:15- Did you get it? - Yeah.- Well done.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19- We saw the RIB going past.- Yeah. - We didn't think it was coming to us
0:06:19 > 0:06:21and then they came over to us, we were like, "Hi."
0:06:21 > 0:06:24We just kind of looked at each other and, like, "Oh-ho, here we go.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26"We're in trouble. Is it that bad?"
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I don't think they realised the danger they were in.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36We picked the girls out of the water and put them into the boat.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Within seconds, the paddleboard was quite some distance
0:06:39 > 0:06:41away from the boat, so they don't realise
0:06:41 > 0:06:44how quickly they were moving away from the shore.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52The Coastguard want one of your parents' mobile numbers just so...
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Yeah.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57It was a very calm day. It was sunny.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00I would have said there would have been a light breeze here.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02It certainly wasn't a strong breeze.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05They thought it was perfect conditions for them
0:07:05 > 0:07:07to go and try out this paddleboarding,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09which they had never actually done before.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11The Coastguard wants to just make sure
0:07:11 > 0:07:13that you're handed over to your parents all right.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17She came home later on in the afternoon
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and all she said was that they had been out in the water
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and they went out a bit too far and a boat had brought them in,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26but she didn't tell me what the actual boat was.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- Get yourselves out and get a hot shower.- Yes.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31We didn't think it was that bad
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and then we got home and our parents were like, "Yous could've died!"
0:07:34 > 0:07:37"You could have, like, ended up in a different country."
0:07:37 > 0:07:39I was, like, "Oh, OK."
0:07:39 > 0:07:42- All received, thanks very much.- When I found out what really happened,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46this awful feeling just came in and I thought, "Oh, my goodness."
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Like, you know, "That's horrendous."
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Really, like, it was a full-scale rescue, you could say.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Right, make this one quick, here.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57I was just completely horrified
0:07:57 > 0:08:00and just thought what could've went wrong.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01Right, quick as you can.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04That's you.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06So thankful, like, for them actually coming.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09I didn't think they would come for such a small thing,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- but apparently it's not that small! - No.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Right, everybody sitting comfortably?
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- We're taking her back to Bangor. - Yep.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30200 miles away, on the Welsh side of the Bristol Channel...
0:08:32 > 0:08:36..Porthcawl's first lifeboat station was built in 1860.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Bee's dad joined the crew in the 1970s.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Quick, quick, quick.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Six members of his family would go on to follow
0:08:49 > 0:08:51in his yellow-wellied footsteps,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53including Bee himself.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Got to back it in, ready for a call-out, haven't we?
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Hiya, Nana!
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Nana Mia has seen her kids and now grandkids join the crew.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09He's the only one who appreciates my cooking!
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Oh, hey, hang on.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13My husband's always had boats,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16so they grew up on boats, sort of thing,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19and then the lifeboat, your father joined first, didn't he?
0:09:19 > 0:09:21- Mm-hm.- Then they started.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Then my other daughter, she joined very young.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26She was one of the first females, wasn't she?
0:09:26 > 0:09:30So you've got your two daughters involved.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34And it was the four grandchildren, but Frankie now lives in Sweden,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36so she's a long way to come for a shout!
0:09:37 > 0:09:40I grew up around the lifeboat station and, you know,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43we were just completely wrapped up in it.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45There was no time for anything else, was there, really?
0:09:45 > 0:09:47I used to lay the table up in there
0:09:47 > 0:09:49and it would all be ready for the meal. I'd go in and say...
0:09:49 > 0:09:51And I'd look around, they'd all gone!
0:09:51 > 0:09:54There'd been a shout and nobody bothered to tell me!
0:09:54 > 0:09:56So that happened a couple of times so then I decided, no,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58they were going to have sandwiches.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00So as they go out through the door on a shout,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03I hand them sandwiches to eat on the way!
0:10:03 > 0:10:04He's got to know the sound of the pager now.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06So, as soon as the pager goes off,
0:10:06 > 0:10:07he's running to the front door as well,
0:10:07 > 0:10:11so I've got to jump over the dog to get to the car before he does.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12Roll over.
0:10:12 > 0:10:13There we are!
0:10:13 > 0:10:14SIREN WAILS
0:10:19 > 0:10:21On a warm afternoon at the end of July,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24the Porthcawl crew are called out.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26A local fisherman has called the Coastguard
0:10:26 > 0:10:29after seeing a kayaker in trouble.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32We're told that it's a person in the water, it's a kayaker,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and he's fallen from his kayak and he's...
0:10:35 > 0:10:37he's in quite a bit of difficulty.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44The emergency caller has given little information.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47The crew have been told to head for Ogmore-by-Sea,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49a rocky bay three miles from Porthcawl.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53It was a nice day.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56It was sunny but there was a really, really strong easterly wind.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58The sea conditions, they were choppy.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00If I'm being thrown about on the lifeboat
0:11:00 > 0:11:03and the lifeboat is being lifted out of the water,
0:11:03 > 0:11:04what's going on with the casualty?
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Where are they? How are they coping?
0:11:18 > 0:11:21You have to consider what that person may do.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24They may think the best thing for them is to abandon their kayak
0:11:24 > 0:11:25and try and swim,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27but then you also think,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29there may be a medical reason why this person
0:11:29 > 0:11:32can't get back into the vessel.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34So, all of that is going through your mind
0:11:34 > 0:11:36in a very short period of time.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43- Grey-blue kayak?- Yeah.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48The crew reach the search area in less than ten minutes.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50The kayaker is nowhere to be seen.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Trying to find a kayaker in the sea...
0:11:56 > 0:12:00The saying "a needle in a haystack" doesn't do it justice.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03You're definitely going to incidents like that blind.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08Unless the Coastguard still has contact with the first informant...
0:12:09 > 0:12:11..the information could be quite sketchy.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18We were speaking to the coastguards constantly,
0:12:18 > 0:12:19trying to find out more information.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22Whereabouts might he be?
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Might well be drifting towards Porthcawl.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32It wasn't until we got a good 300 metres from him
0:12:32 > 0:12:34that we were able to see him.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38As soon as we saw him, it was very obvious
0:12:38 > 0:12:40that he needed help and he needed it quick.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47Ogmore Deep is notorious for its steep, sharp limestone cliff wall,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49rising up along the shoreline.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51The casualty's position,
0:12:51 > 0:12:57being close to rocks and what behind is a small cliff face,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59there was no real way out for him.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03There are caves and you wouldn't want to think what would happen
0:13:03 > 0:13:05if somebody got drawn into those.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09And conditions are also increasingly dangerous for the lifeboat.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11As we're getting closer to the rocks,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14we're getting to quite shallow depths.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17You could risk running the boat into the rocks.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20All right, mate?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Yeah. Couldn't get back on.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Couldn't get back? Yeah.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- Here we go. All right?- Yeah, fine. - Yeah?
0:13:27 > 0:13:30We'll drag this over now. All right?
0:13:30 > 0:13:31Yeah.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Thanks very much.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37When I got to him, he said thank you...
0:13:37 > 0:13:40I don't know, I can't remember how many times,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42but several times, he kept saying, "Thank you, thank you."
0:13:44 > 0:13:46There we go. Boys have got you.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48All right?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50You can tell when people have just had enough,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53exhausted and really just wanting on a boat that floats!
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Stay where you are, OK?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01We don't want you to do anything, all right?
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- Lay it across the stern. - Yeah, across the back.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Once he's in the boat, there's a couple of key questions
0:14:08 > 0:14:10you need to ask before we can relax.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13"Are you on your own? Is there anybody else?"
0:14:13 > 0:14:15We need to make sure that there isn't somebody else
0:14:15 > 0:14:18in a similar situation, or in a worse situation.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23INAUDIBLE SPEECH
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Today, there is someone else involved.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29The kayaker reveals he wasn't alone.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30He was out with his son.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33He just...went.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- He got ahead of you and you couldn't catch him?- No.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39But when he capsized, he lost sight of his son's kayak
0:14:39 > 0:14:41and has no idea where he is now.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46When you find out that there's a second person involved,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50that then becomes quite a serious incident.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52I think, just on the side of caution,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55if one's got into difficulty...
0:14:56 > 0:14:58..we would make the initial assumption
0:14:58 > 0:15:00that the other may be in difficulty as well
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and we would need to start searching for them.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21As the crew raise the alarm, an update comes in from the Coastguard.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25The kayaker's son has been found safe on shore.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41People do underestimate the sea.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43It can really look quite nice and appealing.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48And it's not until you're out there and in a situation that you realise
0:15:48 > 0:15:52how unforgiving and how relentless it can be.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Sometimes people just get caught out and he's one of those people.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01For the 30 volunteers at Porthcawl,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04as for many around the UK and Ireland,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07their fellow volunteers become more than just shipmates.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11When you go into the situations that we go into...
0:16:12 > 0:16:15..you come to get to know people very, very well.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18It's just a family, that's the only way you can describe it.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Does anybody want the one with or without the hair?
0:16:24 > 0:16:25We're a close bunch of guys.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28We deal with issues inside and outside of the station,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31whether it be personal, family or lifeboat matters.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32We are there for each other.
0:16:35 > 0:16:36It's more than just boats
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and call-outs and exercises.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41We're a huge family.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Quite quickly, you become very well gelled,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49which is actually really special in a way that I don't think
0:16:49 > 0:16:51I've ever had with any other group of people,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53just knowing that, in some situations,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55my life will be in someone else's hands
0:16:55 > 0:16:58when they're holding on to the back of my life jacket, kind of thing.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Spoon? Have you found your chicken tikka, mate?
0:17:01 > 0:17:03It's gone out on the table.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07As a helm, you're responsible for
0:17:07 > 0:17:09the lives of your crew, as well as your own.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12You feel protective.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15They have family at home. We know the family history.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18As a helm, you make sure that you're bringing the boat back,
0:17:18 > 0:17:19you're bringing the crew back.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21When you were trying to lift him over the D-class
0:17:21 > 0:17:26and that wave came and lifted the D-class up and you were like, "Oh!"
0:17:26 > 0:17:29We've all got different backgrounds, different jobs.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33It's not easy sometimes but I know that if I get on that boat,
0:17:33 > 0:17:34they've got my back.
0:17:40 > 0:17:45Spread across 238 stations around the UK and Ireland,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48there are 408 lifeboats ready to launch at a moment's notice.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53From the manoeuvrability inshore D-class,
0:17:53 > 0:17:58to the latest £2.2 million all-weather Shannon,
0:17:58 > 0:17:59ten different classes of boat
0:17:59 > 0:18:02all have their own unique life-saving capabilities.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06But the odd one out in the family isn't a boat at all.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12There are four rescue hovercraft stationed around the UK in areas
0:18:12 > 0:18:16where tidal mudflats or sand mean the surface is too soft
0:18:16 > 0:18:20for vehicles and the water too shallow for more conventional craft.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Nowhere is the terrain better suited to the hovercraft
0:18:30 > 0:18:34than here on the north coast of Norfolk, at Hunstanton.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42The tide can probably go out half a mile to a mile and you get a lot of
0:18:42 > 0:18:46exposed sand bars and mudflats and marshes and areas like that
0:18:46 > 0:18:51and obviously you can't get a boat there cos there's no water,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54so the hovercraft is perfectly suited to be able to fly in,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56land there and help.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00It's a unique craft and especially handy
0:19:00 > 0:19:03when people get stuck on sand banks and stuff like that.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06We can drive straight up to them instead of the boat having to go
0:19:06 > 0:19:10and beach on the sandbank and then walk across to them.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16I was very sceptical at the start of the hovercraft.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17To me, it wasn't normal,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20being able to float from land to sea and sea to land.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Over the years, probably about half and half are jobs
0:19:24 > 0:19:29done by the boat and the hovercraft so, yeah, it's proved its worth.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31SIREN WAILS
0:19:31 > 0:19:35The hovercraft at Hunstanton, also known as the Hunstanton Flyer,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39demonstrated its value four years ago when the crew were called out
0:19:39 > 0:19:42on a job they still talk about today.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47The initial report we had was three people cut off by the tide
0:19:47 > 0:19:48on Scolt Head Island.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52We've been there hundreds of times over the years.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54It was just a run-of-the-mill shout.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Eight miles east of Hunstanton lies Scolt Head Island.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59Despite its name, at low tide,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02it's possible to walk across mudflats
0:20:02 > 0:20:04to the four-mile expanse of sand dunes.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08It only truly becomes an island as the tide rises.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11There's a wreck which a lot of people go out at low water
0:20:11 > 0:20:13to have a look at, and then get caught that side of the channel.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17So we just assumed they were on the other side, on the sandbank.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21But, after they launch,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24the Coastguard radios with an urgent update.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26The next report was that the people had tried to swim
0:20:26 > 0:20:28and were clinging to a buoy.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Literally, like changing gear on a bike,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34the situation changed immediately.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Three sisters - a 20-year-old and 12-year-old twins -
0:20:39 > 0:20:43were trying to wade across the deep, fast-flowing channel
0:20:43 > 0:20:45between Scolt Head and the mainland.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Out of their depth and caught by the current,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50they'd been left clinging for their lives to a buoy.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52These people are hanging on the buoy..
0:20:53 > 0:20:56..and the water is ripping past them.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58It would take some strength to hang on,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01so we knew we had to be there quickly.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02If not...
0:21:02 > 0:21:05once they let go of that buoy, then, you know,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07they'd be under the water and gone.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11With a top speed of 30 knots,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14the Flyer takes just over 25 minutes to get the crew on the scene.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19But, as they arrive, two of the sisters lose their grip on the buoy.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22From having one group of casualties, shall we say, all of a sudden,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25we've got two. Two are being swept down the tide quite rapidly...
0:21:27 > 0:21:29..and one's still clinging to the buoy.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32And we don't know how long she was going to cling for.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36With all three girls in immediate danger, the crew have to act fast.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Michael jumps in to get the 12-year-old clinging to the buoy.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45The others try and pick up the other twin and her 20-year-old sister.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58The crew pull Molly, the first 12-year-old twin, onboard.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03When I was clinging on to the buoy,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I just felt like I was going to die.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08I kept going in my head, "I'm going to die, this is my last time."
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Zoe's our older sister,
0:22:11 > 0:22:13so she was sort of trying to protect us,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16but she was just so weak that she just lost her grip
0:22:16 > 0:22:19so I could either hold back onto the buoy and lose Zoe
0:22:19 > 0:22:23or just let go, so I let go of the buoy and was just holding Zoe up.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28The water was just carrying us away from the buoy and Daisy,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32it was, like, pummelling us and it was bruising us and hurting us.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36I just thought, "This is it. We're done."
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Zoe and Molly's twin, Daisy, are still in the water.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44My sister! Zoe!
0:22:44 > 0:22:47My sister! Please, my sister!
0:22:47 > 0:22:50I was just screaming at this time, saying,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53"Daisy, she's still over there, she's still over there."
0:22:53 > 0:22:56That's my twin, Daisy! That's my twin...
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Get Daisy!
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Me and Daisy have always been a unit, been together.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Molly and Daisy, Daisy and Molly.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Daisy! Where's Daisy?!
0:23:09 > 0:23:10It was such a scary thought,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14thinking that one of us could live and one of us could die.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Get Daisy! Get Daisy!
0:23:19 > 0:23:22The crew finally get 20-year-old Zoe on board the hovercraft.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26The two sisters safe in the lifeboat
0:23:26 > 0:23:30have no idea if Daisy managed to hold on to the buoy.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Or if Michael, swimming against the current,
0:23:33 > 0:23:34has been able to reach her.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41I just remember thrashing the water as hard as I could,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43against the tide, to the girl.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46It was probably only about 10 feet, perhaps 15 feet.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50But it seemed to me to be like an Olympic swimming pool.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I got close enough, grabbed the girl's hand.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01She let go and sort of clung herself onto me.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13I remember grabbing hold of him and it just felt amazing
0:24:13 > 0:24:17because I knew at that point that I was going to make it.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Another crew member reached out his hand and he pulled me up
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and then Molly was already on there,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39and so it was another wave of relief that she was OK, too.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45I did sigh a big relief
0:24:45 > 0:24:49because I was so shattered after trying to swim against the tide.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50Yeah, I was...
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I was very, very glad to be picked up.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59All three sisters are safe onboard.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Even just a few seconds later,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04it could have been a very different outcome.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12It was just pure joy that they was safe and they was with me and...
0:25:13 > 0:25:15..I wasn't the only survivor.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19My sisters were all together, I felt safe and happy in their presence.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24If the RNLI had got there later...
0:25:25 > 0:25:28..definitely me and Zoe would have died.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Daisy may have managed a bit longer.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36But me and Zoe, without an aid, in the current...
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Any longer, I think we'd have been gone.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44- Tired.- You're tired? How long had you been hanging on there?- A while.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I don't know. It might not have been that long
0:25:46 > 0:25:48but it seemed like forever.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49Scary.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50RADIO CHATTER
0:25:51 > 0:25:54She did remarkably well to hang on for as long as she did.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58It must have been superhuman strength to,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00you know, knowing you've got your sisters with you.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04You brought them out on a day out and this has happened,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06you know, you would hang on for dear life.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Don't worry, you're doing fine.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Easy does it. Gentle as you like.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22I think you relate to your own children and grandchildren.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24You know...
0:26:24 > 0:26:27what would you do if something happened to them?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Keep your blanket on, keep nice and warm.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34It is one of the calls that...
0:26:36 > 0:26:39..is stuck with me all the time, and will be forever.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44So close.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50Yeah, it was so close.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05For volunteers, call-outs involving kids can be the most harrowing.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10But for Hunstanton crew member Michael, that's now become the norm.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13His own son, Ryan, has joined the crew.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16We really spent most of our childhood down here,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19playing in the sand, burying each other, all sorts.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Then sort of learning about the sea.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I don't think he had the option of wanting to join -
0:27:25 > 0:27:28he was going to join from probably the age of...
0:27:28 > 0:27:31probably about a few days when he first came here.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- It was in his blood. - The salt in my veins!
0:27:34 > 0:27:36- HE LAUGHS - Yeah.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Ryan is keeping alive a long family tradition of lifeboating.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Mum's dad, Grandad Alan,
0:27:44 > 0:27:50he was the original senior helmsman when they set up in 1979.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Dad's on the crew, my auntie helps out in the shop with my mum.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Mum runs our shop, she's the manageress of the shop here.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02- Your girlfriend?- Yeah, my girlfriend is on the crew with us.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04- You forgot your girlfriend!- Yeah.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08It's a big part of our family life, isn't it, really?
0:28:08 > 0:28:10- Yeah, massive. - THEY LAUGH
0:28:10 > 0:28:11We put a lot of time into it.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16- INTERVIEWER:- Is he, like, still your baby?
0:28:16 > 0:28:18No, he's not my baby in the slightest. He's...
0:28:19 > 0:28:22He's my son. If he's on the crew, he's part of the crew.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23He doesn't get any...
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Doesn't change, does it?
0:28:25 > 0:28:26Not at all, you jump on the boat,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29sit on the seat and you expect him to do his job,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32as with any other of the crew.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Obviously years ago, we used to sit and make sand castles together.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38- Now we go to the pub and have a pint instead.- Yeah!
0:28:44 > 0:28:46On the south-west coast of Wales,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Tenby has been a popular tourist destination
0:28:49 > 0:28:51since the early 19th century.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54When the Napoleonic Wars prevented the upper classes
0:28:54 > 0:28:57from embarking on grand tours of Europe,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01resorts and bathing establishments suitable for the highest in society
0:29:01 > 0:29:03sprang up closer to home.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07But the unspoiled beaches and sheltered harbours
0:29:07 > 0:29:10belie the dangerous waters that make Tenby lifeboat station
0:29:10 > 0:29:13one of the busiest in Wales.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17Tenby's on the West Coast of Wales, right on the end of nowhere.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21It's not the end of the world but you can see it from here.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24250 miles of coastline, most of it is cliffs,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28so obviously with us working and the Coastguard,
0:29:28 > 0:29:29we get a lot of calls together.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35A sunny day in late October. The unseasonable weather
0:29:35 > 0:29:38has brought out walkers along the local clifftops.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41A couple have made a frantic 999 call.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Their dog has slipped from the path
0:29:43 > 0:29:46and fallen over 80 feet into the water below.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49The Coastguard has called out the Tenby crew.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53This Labrador had survived the fall but was paddling around in the water
0:29:53 > 0:29:57and they said this dog was getting lower and lower in the water
0:29:57 > 0:30:00and there's a lot of people looking over the cliff,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02and families watching this poor dog...
0:30:02 > 0:30:05dying, basically, drowning in the water.
0:30:05 > 0:30:06LAUNCH HORN BLOWS
0:30:07 > 0:30:10We're not out there to launch and save dogs.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16We're out there to save lives at sea, meaning human lives,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20but when they started saying there were people getting very close
0:30:20 > 0:30:24to the edge of the cliff and other people looking to enter the water,
0:30:24 > 0:30:26that's when a lot of people drown.
0:30:27 > 0:30:32- RADIO:- The cross grid reference is 994 953.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37The name of the dog is Spice. I say again - Spice. Over.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41The Tenby crew are equipped with an all-weather Tamar-class lifeboat,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44one of the most sophisticated in the fleet.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48And with a top speed of 25 knots, they arrive in under ten minutes.
0:30:48 > 0:30:49Where is the dog?
0:30:51 > 0:30:54But with a big swell running under the cliff face,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58even their state-of-the-art lifeboat doesn't have the manoeuvrability
0:30:58 > 0:31:00to get into where the dog was last seen.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07Fortunately, the Tenby crew have a secret weapon under their deck.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11ENGINE REVS
0:31:12 > 0:31:14The Y-boat is an inflatable lifeboat
0:31:14 > 0:31:19designed for rescues in the parts that other lifeboats can't reach.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23Matthew and Andrew are sent in to search the bay.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24Over there?
0:31:25 > 0:31:26In that cove there?
0:31:26 > 0:31:29My initial thoughts were,
0:31:29 > 0:31:30there's no chance that a dog
0:31:30 > 0:31:32is going to survive an 80- to 90-foot drop.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36I was a little bit apprehensive, just because I have a pet myself
0:31:36 > 0:31:41and I didn't really want to see another animal in distress or dead.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43You just prepare yourself for the worst.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49Onlookers are still peering down over the edge of the cliff.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52There were people pointing and shouting.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55They were beckoning us down to where they could see the dog.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Down in there?
0:31:59 > 0:32:01In that cove there?
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Oh, there it is, there it is, there it is.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- VOICEOVER:- I was over the moon to see the dog was well
0:32:14 > 0:32:17and uninjured, to be honest. It was good news.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21HE WHISTLES
0:32:21 > 0:32:22Spice!
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Seemingly no worse the wear for his fall,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29but wary of his rubber-clad would-be rescuers,
0:32:29 > 0:32:34every time the crew get near him, Spice swims the other way.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37We approached him quite gently, just not to scare him,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39calling out his name, being quite softly spoken.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42"Come on, Spice, here we go. Come on, babe, get in the boat."
0:32:44 > 0:32:48With no other option, Matthew decides to take the plunge.
0:32:48 > 0:32:49Spice!
0:32:53 > 0:32:57As I swam to the dog, he kept trying to turn and swim away from me,
0:32:57 > 0:33:01so I just grabbed the back of its neck and sort of dragged it
0:33:01 > 0:33:04back to the boat and, luckily, it didn't bite me.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Luckily, it was quite happy to see us.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Ready? One, two, three.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Good.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16- Hello.- Come on, sit down. Sit.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Come on, babes.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Go on, sit down.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22When we went to rescue the dog,
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I thought it was a girl because my dog's a girl
0:33:24 > 0:33:26so it was just a bit of a habit
0:33:26 > 0:33:29and as soon as we got it on board the Y-boat,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33I felt something underneath... which confirmed it wasn't.
0:33:33 > 0:33:34Hello.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Hello, puppy! Hello!
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Tenby lifeboat. Tenby lifeboat.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Yeah, all received. We'll go to Stackpole. Over.
0:33:47 > 0:33:5240 minutes after his fall, Spice is safely in the Y-boat.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Come here. Good girl. Or good boy!
0:33:57 > 0:34:00The Y-boat came back towards us with a dog on it
0:34:00 > 0:34:03and you could see this dog was literally...
0:34:04 > 0:34:06..happy, tongue out, wagging.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08So I thought, "There you are."
0:34:08 > 0:34:11- Oh, you're good!- Thank you.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13Come on.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15You think of them very much as a family pet.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18There were so many people up on the cliff looking down and lots of
0:34:18 > 0:34:22families themselves, you could see the relief of everyone all round.
0:34:22 > 0:34:23HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE
0:34:23 > 0:34:24Come on, then.
0:34:27 > 0:34:28Good boy.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Spice can finally be reunited with his owners.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41- Thank you.- You're more than welcome, you're more than welcome.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Have you got his lead?
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Yes, it's going on and never coming off.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51What are you doing, dog? What are you doing?
0:34:51 > 0:34:53- You absolute spanner! - You look all right, don't you?
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Good job you're strong, isn't it?
0:34:55 > 0:34:56The dog was ecstatic.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00The tail was wagging and off she went, she was over the moon.
0:35:00 > 0:35:01Thank you so, so much.
0:35:01 > 0:35:02You're welcome.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07All sorted.
0:35:07 > 0:35:08- Back to work now.- A happy dog!
0:35:08 > 0:35:10HE LAUGHS
0:35:16 > 0:35:19While Tenby is one of the busiest stations...
0:35:20 > 0:35:23..one of the quietest is also the most northerly.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27Perched on the edge of the Shetland Isles, here at the village of Aith.
0:35:29 > 0:35:3321 miles from Lerwick, her sister station in the East,
0:35:33 > 0:35:35Aith was opened in 1933.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39It keeps guard over the West Coast
0:35:39 > 0:35:42and thousands of square miles of open Atlantic Ocean beyond.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46To describe Shetland...
0:35:46 > 0:35:48It's a beautiful place on a beautiful day.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53But, oh, my, it's a terrible place in the winter time in a storm.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55The winds gust up to 100mph.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03I think the Shetland people are probably a wee bit hardier
0:36:03 > 0:36:04than some other places.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08We're used to the elements.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11We've gotten used to it over the years.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Aith may be a relatively quiet station,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16averaging between eight to ten shouts a year,
0:36:16 > 0:36:22but when things go wrong in these seas, they can go very wrong indeed.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24It can be pretty violent here.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27The most I've seen is probably 70, 75-foot waves.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31You feel very insignificant in it, yeah.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37Now, what's happening?
0:36:37 > 0:36:41Since it opened, three families have been the backbone of the station.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Hylton from the Henry family is the current coxswain -
0:36:44 > 0:36:46a full-time skipper of the lifeboat.
0:36:46 > 0:36:47His brother, Kevin,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50has spent the last 31 years as the station's mechanic.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Here in Aith, you grow up with the lifeboat.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58You knew you didn't have to go and look for it.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02It was part of your life and if you were an able-bodied boy
0:37:02 > 0:37:06who liked the sea, the first thing you did was join up
0:37:06 > 0:37:07when you became of age.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10- You've been far today? - No, I've not been far.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Hylton and Kevin joined as teenagers,
0:37:13 > 0:37:15following in the footsteps of their dad,
0:37:15 > 0:37:18who also held the position of coxswain.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20Though the institution's unwritten code
0:37:20 > 0:37:23meant they all didn't go on shouts together.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26You wouldn't overload the boat with too many of the one family,
0:37:26 > 0:37:27just in case it went wrong.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31If anything did happen to the lifeboat,
0:37:31 > 0:37:36then you wouldn't be losing three out of a family.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41But since their dad retired,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Hylton and Kevin have been on nearly every shout together.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49One, in August 2013, made headline news.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Three people are missing after a helicopter
0:37:52 > 0:37:54ditched in the sea west of Shetland.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59It's thought the helicopter was carrying workers back
0:37:59 > 0:38:00from an offshore platform.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04Its on-board liferafts were found nearby, empty.
0:38:04 > 0:38:0815 people have been rescued and taken to hospital.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12The hunt for three more is now getting desperate.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15The searchers will continue throughout the night.
0:38:23 > 0:38:24Over the next few hours,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27Coastguard search and rescue helicopters
0:38:27 > 0:38:29and two lifeboats from Lerwick and Aith
0:38:29 > 0:38:33comb the rocky coastline and waters around the crash site.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39It was very shocking, really, to see the wreckage.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42You knew what had happened but when you see something that
0:38:42 > 0:38:46had been flying an hour or two before and was now completely...
0:38:48 > 0:38:52..completely wrecked, upside down and smashing against the shore,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54it was...
0:38:54 > 0:38:55It wasnae good to see.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Four and a half hours after the crash,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00two bodies have been recovered.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02One person is still unaccounted for.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05The Aith crew are requested
0:39:05 > 0:39:07to search the wreckage of the helicopter itself.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14You knew by that time that there was only one person missing
0:39:14 > 0:39:19and there was a chance that that person was inside there,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22so you had to treat it with respect.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29We decided, "Well, if we can do anything,
0:39:29 > 0:39:33"let's try to get this wreckage off the shore,"
0:39:33 > 0:39:35because it was disintegrating in front of our eyes.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42The first plan - attach a line round the helicopter's wheel.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44But with the wreckage so close to the rocky shore,
0:39:44 > 0:39:47it's too dangerous to get the lifeboat alongside.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Hylton has to resort to Plan B,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55sending two men in the small inflatable Y-boat.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Battling the wind, the sea and the helicopter itself,
0:39:58 > 0:40:03all pushing them towards the rocks, the two crew finally hook the wheel.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08We got the rope on and passed it back to the lifeboat.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11We just stayed in the Y-boat and moved clear of it when
0:40:11 > 0:40:14and they started to tow it very slowly away from the shore
0:40:14 > 0:40:16just to get it clear of the rocks.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20It was very obviously vital
0:40:20 > 0:40:23that they could keep the wreckage intact if they could.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27It was a relief once...
0:40:29 > 0:40:30..we got into sheltered water.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36We held it until the coastguard arrived at five in the morning.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40We passed our line to them and they held on to the wreckage.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47With the wreckage secure, later that morning,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50a diver was able to recover the last body.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53It kind of brings it home to you, how...
0:40:55 > 0:40:57..how fickle life is, kind of.
0:40:57 > 0:41:02Just minutes from the airport and they ended up in the sea
0:41:02 > 0:41:06and it's just one of those things that can happen, unfortunately.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11When you do recover a body, you just have to...
0:41:13 > 0:41:16..try and put it to the back of your mind and carry on with your job,
0:41:16 > 0:41:20getting the body back to shore for the family, whatever.
0:41:20 > 0:41:21You just have to do what you can.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28In Shetland, everybody is desperate to retrieve
0:41:28 > 0:41:30anybody that's lost at sea.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34It was a significant rescue for us.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Although we didnae actually make any difference to the casualties,
0:41:38 > 0:41:44we brought closure to the situation and hopefully the families,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47they can grieve for four casualties.
0:41:53 > 0:41:54This way!
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Good boy.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Come and see Daddy's fish.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Having seen his fair share of the savagery of the sea,
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Hylton is thinking about hanging up his boots.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08It's OK on a fine day but when you get a storm
0:42:08 > 0:42:11where it's very hard and physical on the body.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Although Hylton is still 11 years shy
0:42:14 > 0:42:17of the recommended lifeboat retirement age of 65,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20there comes a time when every crew member
0:42:20 > 0:42:23begins to think about passing on the responsibility
0:42:23 > 0:42:24to the next generation.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31It's been a part of my life for so long.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36But, hey-ho, time to move on.
0:42:42 > 0:42:43After nearly 40 years,
0:42:43 > 0:42:47his brother, Kevin, has already left the Aith crew due to ill health.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54You really actually don't think about it when you're in the job.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58It's been part of our lives and it's just a thing that we did
0:42:58 > 0:43:00and we've always done.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06It's a funny feeling watching the boat go,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10or looking down the pier when the bleeper goes off
0:43:10 > 0:43:13and the new fellow who's in my place,
0:43:13 > 0:43:15he's the first man aboard the boat.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17That would have been me just doing that.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21It's a funny feeling but we've gotten used to it now.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23It's... It's OK.
0:43:25 > 0:43:26Change is never good sometimes.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30They're good guys coming up below us, so...
0:43:32 > 0:43:35..I'm sure it'll be in safe hands - that's the main thing.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47Back at Bangor in Northern Ireland,
0:43:47 > 0:43:51one of the longest-serving volunteers here is John Bell.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53For the last 23 years, when he's not on a shout,
0:43:53 > 0:43:57he's been serving up legal advice to the local community.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00We could roll it to the far side of the holidays if you want.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05On a normal day at the office, if the pager does go off,
0:44:05 > 0:44:09it's a bit like Jason Bourne in the Bourne Identity.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12He starts running, jumping over desks to get out.
0:44:12 > 0:44:17I immediately have to check his diary for any imminent appointments
0:44:17 > 0:44:19that would have to be cancelled,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22but most of our clients now would be very understanding
0:44:22 > 0:44:26because they do know that John is a volunteer with the RNLI
0:44:26 > 0:44:30and that this could be a life-or-death situation.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37PAGERS BEEP
0:44:37 > 0:44:39A June day in Bangor.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42The lifeboat crew have been called out.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45I was at work when the pager went off and I remember the date
0:44:45 > 0:44:48because it was my wedding anniversary and, at lunchtime,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51I was going to go and buy a card and a gift for my wife.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54All the information they have is that someone has fallen
0:44:54 > 0:44:57from the seafront somewhere along the coast.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01An ambulance is on its way, but as the casualty is by the water,
0:45:01 > 0:45:05the Bangor crew have been paged, too, as backup.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07Clear, Mickey. All clear.
0:45:08 > 0:45:09The first thing you're thinking -
0:45:09 > 0:45:12"How severe, how bad is the casualty?
0:45:12 > 0:45:13"What injuries have they received?
0:45:13 > 0:45:16"Are they young, are they old? Are they male or female?"
0:45:16 > 0:45:18We didn't have that information at the time.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21All we knew is that someone had fallen from the promenade
0:45:21 > 0:45:25and we were tasked to go round to assess the situation.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32The crew head along the shore at top speed, scanning the coastline.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35We still didn't actually know exactly where the incident happened.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37We were told it was on the rocks.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39As soon as we came out of the harbour,
0:45:39 > 0:45:41I can remember looking for signs of anyone,
0:45:41 > 0:45:44signs of the Coastguard truck being there, signs of an ambulance,
0:45:44 > 0:45:46signs of anyone waving for help.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Three minutes after launching, they spot an ambulance.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58On the shore below is the female casualty.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05- RADIO:- Your exact location, please? - Where the houses start.
0:46:07 > 0:46:12We didn't know what we were going in to do, how we could help.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14We still had no idea what was wrong with her
0:46:14 > 0:46:16or what we were going to go in and do.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20Mickey, come on in here, it's sandy.
0:46:20 > 0:46:21Come on in, Mickey.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23OK, go on in. You're all right, Mickey.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42A 60-year-old local woman, Geraldine,
0:46:42 > 0:46:45has fallen six feet from the esplanade onto the beach below.
0:46:51 > 0:46:56My phone rang and it was my mum and all she said on the phone was,
0:46:56 > 0:46:58"Tricia, I've had an accident."
0:47:00 > 0:47:02I never heard her like that before.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05It was the fear in her voice.
0:47:05 > 0:47:06You know, she was frightened.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10I just shouted for my son, "Come on quick, Nanny's had an accident."
0:47:10 > 0:47:11No time even to get shoes.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13He came running out in his bare feet
0:47:13 > 0:47:17and we were with her in around ten minutes.
0:47:17 > 0:47:22Geraldine? We're going to roll you back onto this metal stretcher.
0:47:22 > 0:47:23All right?
0:47:23 > 0:47:26The casualty was on her back
0:47:26 > 0:47:30on quite large stony, shingly type stuff,
0:47:30 > 0:47:32and was in a tremendous amount of pain.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36- Roll.- OK, OK. - Breathe, breathe.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39I think it was the way she'd fallen was the problem.
0:47:39 > 0:47:40She'd fallen very badly.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42If she'd been another 100 yards down the beach,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45she'd have fallen on to sand,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48but just where she fell wasn't a good place to fall.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50SHE YELPS IN PAIN
0:47:53 > 0:47:55Seeing the amount of pain she was in, you realise,
0:47:55 > 0:47:57this woman has a serious spinal injury.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Geraldine, I'm Gillian.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03- Hello.- I've arrived with the good stuff!
0:48:03 > 0:48:06As the ambulance crew work to stabilise Geraldine,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09concern is growing about her condition.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11Anybody falling from that height could have spinal injuries,
0:48:11 > 0:48:15head injuries, leg injuries, could be bleeding internally.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17This lady can't lie here for too much longer.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20We need to evacuate her and take her to the hospital
0:48:20 > 0:48:22for a proper assessment.
0:48:22 > 0:48:23You tell me, where's the worst pain?
0:48:25 > 0:48:26In your back? OK.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30But getting Geraldine off the beach is no easy task.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32With possible spinal damage,
0:48:32 > 0:48:36any unnecessary movement risks more serious injury.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39And between her and the ambulance is a vertical wall.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43The only way up is a narrow set of steps 100 metres away.
0:48:43 > 0:48:44Someone else is coming now.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49Everyone was working to stabilise Geraldine
0:48:49 > 0:48:52and to make her as comfortable as possible.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54OK, Geraldine?
0:48:54 > 0:48:59I was trying to reassure Geraldine that she was OK
0:48:59 > 0:49:02and that she was in good hands and there was a great team of people
0:49:02 > 0:49:03there to help her.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05Are you starting to feel that, Geraldine?
0:49:05 > 0:49:08Yeah, it should be doing something, I would have thought, now.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11- I've given you plenty. - While all of that was going on,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14we were trying to decide what was the best way
0:49:14 > 0:49:18to transfer her to the ambulance.
0:49:18 > 0:49:23Even tiny movements were so painful...
0:49:23 > 0:49:26that trying to walk up the beach
0:49:26 > 0:49:30or to walk up through the stones and the rocks,
0:49:30 > 0:49:32or to try and hoist her up...
0:49:33 > 0:49:35..the risks would have been quite great.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38The emergency services need to come up with a plan
0:49:38 > 0:49:42to get Geraldine into the ambulance as fast and safely as possible.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46Do you want to put her on our boat, guys?
0:49:46 > 0:49:48The slip here at Ballyhome just where the wee battery is,
0:49:48 > 0:49:50there's a gangplank coming down there.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52That's where we'll bring her, to there?
0:49:52 > 0:49:55And it's nice and easy and gentle to bring her up, OK?
0:49:55 > 0:49:58You go over there, yeah. Brilliant.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00It would be handier than going along here.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04John's plan is to evacuate Geraldine on the lifeboat
0:50:04 > 0:50:06and take her to a nearby jetty
0:50:06 > 0:50:10where she can be smoothly transferred into the ambulance.
0:50:10 > 0:50:11Geraldine, I've got your hand
0:50:11 > 0:50:15and we're going to go gently into another stretcher. OK?
0:50:15 > 0:50:17One, two, three, there we go.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19- That's it. - SHE CRIES OUT IN DISCOMFORT
0:50:19 > 0:50:22Geraldine, that's it, that's the hard bit done, OK?
0:50:22 > 0:50:25It's now down to the Bangor crew to get the casualty to safety
0:50:25 > 0:50:28but every small movement is agony for Geraldine.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33You're in the stronger stretcher now, Geraldine.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35OK? You're fine.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39She was scared and I can remember John just holding her hand
0:50:39 > 0:50:40and reassuring her.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43You're fine, just squeeze my hand, you're good.
0:50:45 > 0:50:46Even as a child,
0:50:46 > 0:50:50you go straight to your mum's hand so she went straight for John's hand
0:50:50 > 0:50:53and John was reassuring her that everything's going to be OK
0:50:53 > 0:50:54and we're all here to help.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57What we're going to do now in a wee second is we're going
0:50:57 > 0:51:00to carry you gently down and lie you across the back of our boat
0:51:00 > 0:51:03and then we'll go nice and smooth just over to the slip,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06where it's nice and gentle to carry you up, OK?
0:51:08 > 0:51:09- All right, guys?- OK.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12One, two, three, lift.
0:51:12 > 0:51:13- OK, Geraldine?- Keep it level.
0:51:18 > 0:51:19You're OK.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22While John reassures a terrified Geraldine,
0:51:22 > 0:51:24they begin the tricky transfer.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33Are you all right, Geraldine?
0:51:35 > 0:51:36I've still got your hand, Geraldine.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39We're just going to lift your feet up a wee touch. OK?
0:51:42 > 0:51:43You're OK, Geraldine.
0:51:48 > 0:51:49One, two, three.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Just gently we'll slide across. That's it.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54Geraldine, I'm going to let go of your hand, I can't reach, pet.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56I'll get it in a wee second, OK?
0:51:56 > 0:51:57Just going to move you.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00That's you.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05- OK?- OK. You guys there, I'm going to...
0:52:09 > 0:52:14Helmsman Mickey must get Geraldine the few hundred metres to the jetty.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18But he's more used to using the lifeboat's 230 horsepower
0:52:18 > 0:52:20to punch through rough seas,
0:52:20 > 0:52:22and this is a delicate manoeuvre.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25Being at the helm, I've got to look at all the dangers
0:52:25 > 0:52:26that may be there.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28From the point of view of everybody on board the boat,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30the casualty position.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34What may be coming behind me.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Is there anybody else at sea behind me?
0:52:36 > 0:52:37Waves coming in?
0:52:37 > 0:52:41And basically manoeuvre the boat in a safe speed and manner.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46We're transporting somebody with potentially a life-changing injury
0:52:46 > 0:52:49that could leave that lady in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53See?
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Yeah, you're going to get... Yeah.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08Come on, right in, Mickey.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11That's you.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13Yeah. Looking good.
0:53:13 > 0:53:14Go on up, you've got loads of depth.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17The further you go up, the less we'll have to carry her.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20For the tricky transfer from the boat to the jetty,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23John is still on hand to reassure Geraldine.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27I'm here. You OK?
0:53:27 > 0:53:29- What's that? - She wants to know your name.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31John. You're fine, Geraldine.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Even with Mickey driving, we did a good job!
0:53:35 > 0:53:38- LAUGHTER - Thank you so much.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42How many grandkids have you, Geraldine?
0:53:42 > 0:53:46- 14.- Good gracious, there'll be some stories for them!
0:53:46 > 0:53:48I'm going to walk up with you, Geraldine.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52All right, Geraldine.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55Just keep feeding her back.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59Let me go past you there, Richard, a wee second.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02Geraldine, I'll grab that wee hand again in a second, dear.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05THEY ALL CHATTER
0:54:06 > 0:54:09- Somebody else on this side. - You're all the way there.
0:54:10 > 0:54:11All right?
0:54:11 > 0:54:13Let's go.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16Pick a side, guys. You want to pick the same one.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21Finally, Geraldine's ready for the last leg of her journey to hospital.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24It all began when she was walking the dogs along the promenade.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27One, chasing a ball over the edge, pulled her with him.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29You're so close now, Geraldine.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33You knew you were crashing down
0:54:33 > 0:54:37and the rocks below you were going to be your bed.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39And that's what happened.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42On three. One, two, three. Lift!
0:54:42 > 0:54:43That's it, we're going up.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45Going up.
0:54:45 > 0:54:46Yeah, we're good.
0:54:46 > 0:54:51I went down and the pain just was automatically right through me.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57Excruciating. Pain like I've never felt in my life.
0:54:57 > 0:54:58That's you there.
0:54:58 > 0:55:03I knew then, you know, it's not just a wee thing.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05I'm not walking away from this.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08You knew you weren't going to walk away from it.
0:55:08 > 0:55:09Sorry for the trouble.
0:55:09 > 0:55:11Geraldine, no trouble.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15That's what we're here for. That's what we train for.
0:55:15 > 0:55:20John Bell just told me I would be all right. I would be all right.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25"Don't move, I'm here," and he held my hand and, to this day,
0:55:25 > 0:55:28I can feel John Bell holding my hand.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33Out of all the things that happened on the beach,
0:55:33 > 0:55:35that was what she could remember.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39We had to fill her in on bits but that was what she could remember,
0:55:39 > 0:55:41was John Bell's hand.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47Everybody that day done their duty but...
0:55:48 > 0:55:50..John Bell was just that...
0:55:51 > 0:55:53My angel, that's what I called him.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58The time arrives for Geraldine to give John back his hand.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04- You'll be fine, pet.- Thank you.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06Take care, dear.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Geraldine said thank you many times.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11She refers me as her angel, which...
0:56:12 > 0:56:14..the crew all took great delight in!
0:56:17 > 0:56:21I played a part in her rescue and I kept her spirits up
0:56:21 > 0:56:23but everyone worked very well together,
0:56:23 > 0:56:27so it shows how the teamwork pays off.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Geraldine's fall fractured a vertebrae in her back.
0:56:38 > 0:56:41Her short trip on the Bangor lifeboat was the beginning
0:56:41 > 0:56:43of a long road to recovery.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45But today, a year later,
0:56:45 > 0:56:48she's well enough to visit John at the station.
0:56:49 > 0:56:50I am doing well.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54I will never forget the feel of your hand in mine.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56You're still my angel, I will tell you that.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59Thank you. Honestly, Geraldine, you're looking great.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03I would have made this journey down here today if I had to crawl down.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07I'm happy. I'm happy to have got the chance to see them.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11I will never forget them and, every day of my life,
0:57:11 > 0:57:15I will thank them for what they've done for me.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21And four years after being rescued by the Hunstanton hovercraft,
0:57:21 > 0:57:24Molly and Daisy don't let the experience put them off
0:57:24 > 0:57:26spending a day at the beach.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28I enjoy the water now.
0:57:28 > 0:57:33I have fun swimming but I sort of try and check the tide times more
0:57:33 > 0:57:35and be a bit more wary of it.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38I've just learned to respect it a bit more.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43After the event, I knew for a fact
0:57:43 > 0:57:46that I didn't want to become scared of the sea.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48I won't put myself in that situation again
0:57:48 > 0:57:51but I don't want to be in fear or something.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54The RNLI kept us a family.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57Without them, our lives would not be the same at all.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06You could see on everyone's faces
0:58:06 > 0:58:08that they were all panicking for their friend.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10She was just barely talking.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12She was obviously in a lot of pain.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15People say they've never been frightened of the sea.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17Well, they're dangerous people
0:58:17 > 0:58:19because we've all been frightened at sea.
0:58:19 > 0:58:21- Watch your foot. - Can you still hear me?
0:58:21 > 0:58:22- He's still there.- It's very scary.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24I think he was very close to death.
0:58:24 > 0:58:27Dave, stay with us. Don't give up on me now, all right?
0:58:27 > 0:58:28Dave?