Boscastle Coastguard Team

13/08/2026

🌑🌗 Wednesday night training 🌗🌑

Yesterday evening we carried out a rope training exercise, attended by a Senior Coastal Operations Officer (SCOO) to assess and sign off two of our newest members, Harriet and Holly, for cliff-top rope operations.

And we’re pleased to say that, with the perfect backdrop and arguably one of the best places to watch the eclipse, they both passed with flying colours! 👏

After a lot of hard work, training and commitment over the past six months, they are now officially rope operations ready and able to deploy when that call comes in. 🧗‍♀️🪢

A massive well done to you both, Harriet and Holly — and welcome to the team! 👏

01/08/2026

🚨 Joint training with Port Isaac RNLI 🚤
Polzeath Coastguard
At the beginning of July, we carried out a joint training exercise with Port Isaac RNLI lifeboat crew.

Over the years, our Coastguard team and Port Isaac RNLI have worked closely together on numerous call-outs along our coastline, often in challenging and unpredictable circumstances. That’s why regular joint training is so important — you never quite know what the next job is going to bring.

During this exercise, we worked through a number of scenarios, including:

🔹 Casualty pick-offs from the base of cliffs
🔹 Persons in the water
🔹 Casualty transfers, including practising how we could safely transfer a casualty to another agency or bring personnel such as a paramedic or police officer ashore when required.
🔹 Looking at situations where getting someone back up the cliff may not be the safest option.

Cliff rescues can present a whole range of additional hazards, including rockfall, unstable ground, changing tides and difficult access. Sometimes the safest option isn't necessarily to take someone back the way they came — and having different agencies working together gives us more options when the unexpected happens.

Training together allows both teams to understand each other's capabilities, equipment and ways of working, helping us to provide a safer and more effective response when it really matters.

A big thank you to Port Isaac RNLI for another excellent training session. 🤝

Train together. Work together. Rescue together.

Joint working between HM Coastguard and the RNLI is an established part of the UK search and rescue system.

28/05/2026

Boscastle Coastguard Rescue Team paged twice this morning to two separate incidents. The second, thankfully was a good outcome, due to the right kit 👌

Our first tasking this morning was to reports of a male who had fallen from the rocks at Trebarwith Strand, sustaining a nasty bang to the head along with a laceration.

The team carried out casualty care and observations on scene, with concerns that he may have suffered concussion from the fall. Due to the nature of the injury, it was advised that he attend hospital immediately for further checks and treatment.

With the ambulance quickly on scene, we transferred the casualty into the care of the ambulance crew for onward treatment.

Our second call-out came not long after returning from the first incident.

We were paged to reports of a father and son in difficulty just off Boscastle Harbour after getting into trouble in two kayaks.

After making their way out of the harbour, they quickly found the sea state far more challenging than expected. Attempting to return, both unfortunately got caught out by the conditions and lost their kayaks, ending up clinging onto rocks outside the harbour.

Boscastle NCI raised the alarm to Falmouth Coastguard Operations Room, which initiated a multi-agency response.

The Boscastle team was paged alongside Port Isaac RNLI. While awaiting the lifeboat’s arrival, the Officer in Charge deployed two separate teams to both the north and south sides of the harbour to gain visual contact with the casualties and provide updates as the incident unfolded.

Port Isaac RNLI were quickly on scene and expertly managed to manoeuvre their D-Class lifeboat in close enough to recover both casualties safely from the rocks before bringing them back into the harbour and into the care of Coastguard teams.

There were two key things that stopped this incident becoming far more serious than it already was:

A rapid multi-agency response involving NCI, RNLI and Coastguard teams.

And most importantly — both casualties were wearing lifejackets and had a means of calling for help when the unexpected happened.

Please remember: Conditions can change incredibly quickly along our coastline, even when things may appear manageable from shore. Always wear a lifejacket and carry a means of communication if heading onto or near the water.

#999 coastguard

27/05/2026

There have been multiple fatal incidents involving water during the recent heatwave in the UK.

At least seven young people died in the water, the youngest being 12-year-old Junior Slater, who died in a Lancashire river on Tuesday afternoon. A man in his 60s and a woman in her 70s have also died in other incidents.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution have issued guidance for those who find themselves in difficulty in the water.

Read more:

Charities urge people to take precautions after at least nine people died after getting into difficulty in water during the warm weather.

01/05/2026

The UK coast offers many beautiful places to go fishing. Before you head out, take a moment to prepare.

Always check the latest weather forecast and tide times. Conditions can change quickly, and it’s easy to get cut off by the tide or caught out in dangerous weather if you’re not prepared.

Before leaving, give your kit a quick check 🎒

Do you have a fully charged mobile? 📱

Or better still, a Personal Locator Beacon? 🚨

Have you got a properly fitted, regularly checked lifejacket? 🦺

Those things could make the biggest difference. And remember, calm looking water doesn’t mean there’s no risk.

In an emergency at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

18/04/2026

New registration requirements for Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) are in effect from today.

If you carry a PLB on board a UK-flagged vessel, hovercraft, or mechanically propelled watercraft, you must register it. This applies to all current and new PLBs, and you must remember to update details in case you discard it or change ownership.

There are three ways to register a PLB with the UK Beacon Registry.

1. Visit https://www.gov.uk/register-406-beacons
2. Call +44 (0)20 3817 2006
3. Email [email protected]

03/04/2026

Although isn’t directly impacting us at the moment, a succession of low pressure systems out in the Atlantic is creating challenging conditions along our coastline.
HM Coastguard teams at Padstow have already reported three young people getting into difficulty today at Porthcothan Beach, which is currently not lifeguarded.
With unsettled conditions set to continue over the next few days, please take extra care if you’re visiting the coast — be aware of strong waves, rip currents, and rapidly changing sea conditions.
Stay safe and use lifeguarded beaches ⛱️

#

01/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CZhk6crpC/

🚤🥓 Bacon Baps at Port Isaac Lifeboat Station!

Join us at Port Isaac RNLI Lifeboat Station for a delicious bacon bap morning in support of our amazing volunteers.

📍 Port Isaac Lifeboat Station
🗓 Easter Sunday
⏰ 10.00am

Come along, enjoy a freshly cooked bacon bap, and help raise funds for the RNLI – the charity that saves lives at sea. It’s a great chance to support your local lifeboat crew.

All donations go towards helping the RNLI continue their lifesaving work.

We look forward to seeing you there! 💙🧡

14/03/2026

Call-out 5 for 2026 📟 – 11:45 | 10/03/26

Boscastle Coastguard Rescue Team were paged to reports of a dog over the cliff at Backways Cove near Trebarwith, with support from Polzeath Coastguard in case a cliff rescue was required.

On arrival, we met with the owners who gave us an approximate location of where the dog had gone over the cliff. The teams were then split and sent to vantage points on either side of the cove in an attempt to gain a visual on the dog. Unfortunately, nothing could be seen from above.

We then requested assistance from Port Isaac RNLI to help search from the water. Despite a thorough search, nothing could be located and, with a very heavy swell beginning to build, the crew were stood down with thanks and returned to the lifeboat station.

Another plan was then put together and three water technicians were suited up and deployed once the tide and swell had eased enough to allow safe access to the rocks below the cliff.

After a quick search below the cliffs and within a void between the cliff face and a rock around 20–30ft down, the dog was sadly located. Unfortunately, it had not survived the fall.

We understand this is a sensitive subject, so we kindly ask that any comments are kept respectful and good-natured.



Boscastle Coastguard Rescue Team