Newhaven Coastguard

03/06/2026

Call Outs 066 – 106 | May 2026

May has been our busiest month on record, with the team responding to an incredible 41 incidents as we head towards the traditional summer peak.

The month saw periods of sustained operational demand, with as many as five call outs within a 24-hour period and, at one stage, three separate incidents in the space of just one hour. For a team of volunteers who respond around family life, work commitments and personal time, it has been a remarkable effort by everyone involved.

The variety of incidents has once again demonstrated the unpredictable nature of our role. During May the team responded to casualty evacuations, a yacht washed ashore on Seaford Beach, a RIB stranded on Brighton beach, a jet ski in difficulty, kayakers and windsurfers requiring assistance, reports of ordnance amongst the rocks at Saltdean, multiple searches for missing people, and several incidents involving people cut off by the tide.

We were also pleased to assist our colleagues from one of our nearby lifeboats when crew members found themselves stranded ashore during an incident.

With the warmer weather and Bank Holiday weekends bringing more people to the coast, our volunteers have been kept exceptionally busy. While we love seeing people enjoy our beautiful coastline, we'd encourage everyone to check tide times, weather forecasts and sea conditions before setting out, and to ensure they have the appropriate equipment for their activity.

Away from incidents, the team has continued with regular training, equipment checks and maintenance to ensure we remain ready to respond at a moment's notice. Highlights this month included an excellent rope rescue exercise where we trialled a new recovery method designed to improve deployment speed whilst reducing the amount of equipment required.

As always, none of this would be possible without the support of our families, employers and partner agencies. Their understanding and encouragement allow our volunteers to answer the pager, often at very short notice and at all hours of the day and night.

Thank you to everyone who supports the team and helps keep our coastline safe.

If you see someone in difficulty on the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

07/05/2026

Call Outs 037 – 065 | March & April 2026

Another busy couple of months for the team, with 29 incidents responded to across March and April — averaging almost one shout every 48 hours.

The incidents have once again shown just how varied Coastguard Rescue Team taskings can be. Over the past two months the team has responded to searches for missing people, assisted the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter with medivacs and landing site preparation, supported the lifeboat with casualty vessels, rescued people cut off by the tide, dealt with ordnance washed up onto the beach, assisted The Fire Service with a boat fire, and provided safety advice to fishermen during periods of extreme stormy weather.

One particularly memorable incident involved the rescue of a wind foiler who was blown out to sea after their wing failed offshore.

Alongside operational call outs, training remains a vital part of keeping the team ready to respond. During this period we were joined by our flank Coastguard Rescue Teams and were privileged to take part in a mental health awareness session delivered by SECAMB, Sussex Police and The Blue Light Line. The session provided valuable insight and support around mental wellbeing and resilience for emergency service personnel and volunteers.

As always, thank you to our families, employers and partner agencies for their continued support, and to the public for your ongoing encouragement and cooperation while incidents are ongoing.

If you see somebody in difficulty on the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

03/03/2026

Call Outs 001–036 | January & February 2026

Two months into 2026 and the team has already responded to 36 incidents, alongside dedicated training evenings to ensure we remain fully prepared and ready for deployment at any time.

It’s been cold, wet and dark — even during some of the daytime shouts — but our volunteers have continued to operate along the coastline, with searches for missing people, rescuing a dog that had fallen from the clifftop, and carrying out casualty evacuations from challenging locations. These have included incidents at Birling Gap steps following a cliff fall, unstable beach access steps, and operations involving the Newhaven Port pilot boat.

We are also very grateful to Seaford Angling Club, who kindly presented the team with a cheque for £400 in support of the Coastguard Association. Thank you for your generosity — donations like this help the charity continue its vital work supporting current and former Coastguards.

Coastal emergency? Dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

04/01/2026

Tasking 002 | 04 January 2026

This afternoon, for our second tasking of 2026, the team were called to a dog that had gone over the cliff near Cuckmere Cottages, Seaford.

The owners had done exactly the right thing by calling 999 and asking for the Coastguard.

On arrival, the team swiftly located the dog on a ledge part way down the cliff. They set up their cliff rescue equipment and deployed a cliff tech who met the dog and secured them, into the bespoke Animal Rescue bag.

No fewer than eight minutes since going over the edge, the cliff tech was back at the top of the cliff and the dog safely reunited with its owners.

A happy outcome on a bright, crisp, sunny Sussex Sunday.

02/01/2026

Call Outs 262 – 282 | December 2025

As we kick off the fresh new year, we’d like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🎄✨

December was a busy one, with 20 shouts this month, taking our total for the year to 282 callouts — that’s one shout roughly every 31 hours, all year long. Our first shout came in on 1 December, and the last arrived on New Year’s Eve — a pretty good snapshot of a year that never really slowed down.

For the first time in many years, we were tasked back-to-back on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day — was the alarm saying the turkey is ready or was it the pager?

Despite the operational tempo, December also gave us some brilliant moments off-call. We managed a great Christmas meal and night out, a rare chance for the whole team to be together in one place.

We also had the privilege of recognising Karl Davenport, a long-standing team member who left us this year, receiving a Chief Coastguard Commendation, the King’s Coronation Medal, and a 23-year Valedictory Certificate for service — thoroughly deserved recognition for years of dedication.

And a huge thank you to the Foresters Society who chose the Coastguard Association as one of their charities of the year, raising an incredible £430. Sam from our team received the cheque on behalf of the Coastguard Association, the charity that supports Coastguard volunteers and their families, past and present.

We’re hugely proud of what this volunteer team does. We love what we do, and we’ll continue to be there 24/7, 365 days a year, whatever the weather and whatever the date on the calendar.

Thank you to our families for their patience, our partner services for their teamwork, and our community for the continued support. Here’s to 2026 — and staying safe out there 🌊💪

01/12/2025

Call Outs 246 – 261 | November 2025

A stormy November kept the pagers busy, with our first shout landing at 4am on the 1st and a burst of seven taskings in just 48 hours at the month’s peak.

Remembrance Sunday saw the team gather at the Newhaven Memorial, where our newest member, Zac, and his daughter laid the Newhaven Coastguard wreath on behalf of the team. Many will recognise Zac from his years with Shoreham CRT - we’re delighted to welcome him to Newhaven.

The team also conducted Casualty Care refresher training, focusing on the bread and butter; CPR and casualty stretcher packaging.

This month we also continued last month’s knowledge-sharing with our colleagues at Newhaven Lifeboat. After hosting us previously, we returned the favour and invited some of their crew to our station for an evening of shared learning. We covered search techniques, equipment, and procedures — and, finally put some faces to the voices we regularly hear over the radio.

As we head into the festive season, your Newhaven Coastguard volunteers remain on-call 24/7/365, ready to respond to 999 coastal emergencies. If you see anyone in difficulty on the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

25/11/2025

09/11/2025

Newhaven Remembrance Sunday 2025

Photo credit: Paula's Photography

03/11/2025

Call Outs 224 – 245 | October 2025

October kept Team Newhaven busy, with 21 call-outs taking us right across the patch - from Eastbourne Pier to Shoreham.

As ever, the taskings were varied (and occasionally threw in a curveball or two). A central theme this month seemed to be searches for missing people and setting up HLSs - that’s “Helicopter Landing Sites” for the uninitiated. Although we prefer to think of them as “Helicopter Parking”! These are areas we secure so our rescue helicopters can safely land and we can work alongside with casualty care.

We also squeezed in some training and supported our friends at Newhaven RNLI during their open day - always a pleasure to meet the public and chat face-to-face with the crew (rather than just waving across the waves or chatting on the radio).

A special mention goes to our Station Officer, Trevor Cutler, who marked an incredible 35 years of service with HM Coastguard this month. A huge congratulations, Trev - your dedication, leadership, and commitment are an inspiration to us all.

And yes, it’s true... a few of our team weren’t even born when Trev first put on the uniform!

As always, our volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers remain on call 24/7, 365 days a year.
👉 In a coastal emergency, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

02/10/2025

Call Outs 209–223 | September 2025

September brought fewer visitors to the coast, and with it a dip in incidents compared to the busy summer months. That said, with an average of one tasking every two days, our team was still kept on our toes with water rescues, casualty extractions, and remote area searches.

Alongside the callouts, we made time for training to maintain our skills:

🔹 Joint training with Newhaven RNLI – A chance to share knowledge and showcase our cliff rescue kit, including accompanied descent and ascent. While both teams save lives, we do so in very different ways — no boats for us, but plenty of rope, stretchers, and cliff rescue gear!

🔹 Search training with updated tech – Learning new features for our search systems, the same used by Police and Mountain Rescue across the UK. Even with the latest tools, we refreshed our core skills too: paper maps, compasses, and traditional search methods that remain vital when technology fails.

📺 If you missed it: A dramatic Newhaven rescue we attended last year featured in Channel 5’s “Coastguard: Search & Rescue SOS.”
Watch it here:

👉 https://www.channel5.com/show/coastguard-search-rescue-sos/season-3/episode-1

As always, our volunteers remain on call 24/7, 365 days a year.
In an emergency on the coast, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.