Lymington Coastguard Rescue Team

09/09/2026

05/09/2026

Always check tide times (and weather) before heading to the coast 🌊

Tides follow a predictable pattern, but can change quickly, and it’s easy to get cut off if you haven’t planned ahead.

Rapidly rising seas can trap you in bays, coves or on sandbars, often with little or no warning and no easy escape route.

Tides don't always follow straight lines and can sneak up around and behind you too.

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

02/09/2026

☀️ August Round-Up 🚨

August was a busy month for the team, with 28 incidents across our coastline, during what was also the hottest month on record.

The team responded to a wide variety of incidents, including supporting the extraction of a casualty from a boat with a suspected spinal injury, and carrying out a stretcher evacuation of a casualty from a remote beach at night. We also assisted a casualty in difficulty along the sea wall, carried out a rope rescue for someone in difficulty part way down a cliff, and responded to overdue swimmers and watersports users who had not returned as expected. Alongside these incidents, the team supported people experiencing a mental health crisis across our area and carried out searches for missing people.

We also responded to reports from members of the public that raised concerns someone could be missing, including clothing found on a beach and, separately, a paraglider kite found with no person immediately associated with it.

Our training, specialist equipment, local knowledge and team numbers enable us to reach casualties in challenging locations, provide appropriate casualty care and safely move them to a place of safety. In some situations, our presence and specialist capabilities also help create a safer environment for other emergency services to reach and care for casualties. Working closely with neighbouring Coastguard Rescue Teams and other emergency services, including HART, the ambulance service, RNLI, independent lifeboats and the police, allows us to coordinate responses and ensure casualties can be safely transferred into the next stage of their care.

Away from incidents, the team also provided safety cover for the large crowds at Calshot and Lepe for the fireworks marking the end of the 200th Cowes Week, carried out local patrols and continued with regular team training and equipment checks to ensure we remain ready to respond when needed.

If you're in an emergency at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

01/09/2026

30/08/2026

Thank you to Southampton Lifeboat for inviting us to the official launch of your new lifeboat, based on the River Itchen.

The new boat will provide an important search and rescue capability in an area where a quick response is often needed, adding valuable resources to the area.

As a team, alongside Hill Head Coastguard Rescue Team , we attend a number of incidents in the area, so it was great to meet the Southampton Lifeboat team, learn more about the new boat and talk about how we can work together when responding to future incidents.

Well done to everyone involved, particularly those who have worked behind the scenes to make this new capability possible. It’s great to have this additional resource available in the area and to build those working relationships for when they are needed.

29/08/2026

If you’re heading out this bank holiday, plan your route home and stay away from the water if you’ve been drinking.

Alcohol can affect your judgement, slow your reaction time and make it much harder to swim or climb out if you end up in the water. There may also be hidden dangers below the surface that you can’t see.

Look after yourself and your friends. Never walk home alone.

22/08/2026

Whilst dealing with an incident this week, we noticed some significant new cracks along cliff edges in areas we regularly visit, both during training and when responding to people who need our help.

It’s a good reminder that our coastline is constantly changing, and areas that we know well can still develop new hazards.

Take a moment to read the advice The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and, if you find yourself or someone else in need of help, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Keep your distance from cliff edges ⚠️

Cliffs can be unstable, and a sudden slip or unexpected gust of wind can quickly put you in danger.

• Stay well back from cliff edges ⛰️

• Never try to climb up 🧗

• Keep your dog on a lead 🐶

• Enjoy the view from a safe distance 🌊

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

21/08/2026

Something doesn’t look right? Report it.

Last night, we were tasked after a member of the public spotted a paragliding kite caught in vegetation between the beach huts and the edge of a cliff.

We located the kite and searched the surrounding area to check for its owner and ensure no one was injured. Shortly after we arrived, the owner turned up and was able to safely recover it.

Knowing who it belonged to and why it had ended up there meant we could be satisfied that no further action was required from us.

Reporting something unusual allows us to check things out and make sure there isn’t someone in trouble, or the information may help with an ongoing incident we’re already dealing with.

It could be clothing left on the beach for some time with no owner in sight, watersports equipment washed ashore, suspected ordnance, or simply something that doesn’t look right.

If you’re concerned, report it.

If you believe it’s an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

If it’s not an emergency but you want to raise a concern, call the Coastguard on 023 9255 2100

13/08/2026

Stretcher rescues and carry outs

Over the last few weeks, we’ve carried out a number of stretcher evacuations from locations where reaching and safely moving a casualty can be challenging.

Once located, we can carry out an initial assessment and provide appropriate casualty care, before using our local knowledge, 4x4 capability, access keys and specialist equipment to safely relocate them for handover to the ambulance service and ongoing medical care.

We use different stretchers depending on the location, terrain and casualty’s injuries, making regular training essential to keep our skills sharp and ensure we can carry out these rescues safely. Alongside our stretcher training at the station and on the Steamship Shieldhall , some of our team also took part in a joint exercise with the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and Coastguard Rescue Teams from other areas.

If you’re injured or in difficulty around the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.