28/05/2026
๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข-๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐
Both boats were launched shortly before 4pm on Thursday 28th May after the Coastguard received a 999 call stating that a child had fallen four metres onto rocks while taking part in an organised coasteering session at Church Doors, near Lydstep.
The volunteer crews made best speed to the area, some 3.8 miles west of Tenby and once on scene, the inshore lifeboat immediately went into the rocks to assess the situation, whilst the all-weather lifeboat stood off.
The crew found the child lying on rocks with his parents, who also been taking part, with him. He was conscious, but complaining of back pain. A helicopter was immediately requested, but with the tide coming in rapidly and the flight time from Newquay in Cornwall meaning the casualty would likely be submerged before it arrived, the crew needed to get the casualty off the rocks quickly.
A stretcher and several more crew members were brought across from the all-weather lifeboat to the rocks, where they were soon joined by members of Tenby Coastguard Rescue Team.
The child was then immobilised and placed in the stretcher before being taken, along with his parents, off the rocks and to the safety of the larger lifeboat to await the arrival of the helicopter.
The helicopter was overhead a short while later and the Paramedic was lowered to the deck to assess the casualty.
It was decided that it would be more comfortable for the child to stay aboard the lifeboat and for the paramedic to accompany him back to Tenby, where a Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust ambulance had been requested to attend.
With the Ambulance now on scene and the child handed over for his trip to hospital, the coastguard paramedic was taken up to Greenhill School, where the helicopter was waiting to fly back to Newquay.
A spokesman for Tenby RNLI said, โThe child was taking part in a well organised coasteering session and was wearing a wetsuit, buoyancy aid and crucially, a helmet, which likely saved him from more serious injuries. The RNLI recommends that when going coasteering, you always try to use a recognised National Coasteering Charter (NCC) provider, as these provide all the necessary safety gear and guidance.โ