In the first of three rescues in a day, the Swanage Lifeboat crew was called to help a diver pulled unconscious from the water at the location of the Kyarra shipwreck, one mile off Anvil Point near Swanage in Dorset.
At 8.44 am on Saturday 18th June 2022, the lifeboat launched and was quickly alongside the dive vessel with the male diver who was being given oxygen to revive him. The Kyarra was sunk by a U-boat in 1918 and is one of the UK’s most popular wreck sites.
Coastguard rescue helicopter 175 preparing to winch the casualty up from the dive boat
“Regained consciousness and was being given oxygen”
Swanage Lifeboat Station reported:
“Two volunteer crew members were put aboard to assess the casualty who was found to have regained consciousness and was being given oxygen. The casualty’s dive buddy was also assessed and found to be OK.
“The casualty had made a controlled ascent with his dive buddy after experiencing difficulty around 23 metres underwater.”
The coastguard rescue helicopter 175 was requested to get the man to hospital as quickly as possible. He was put in a harness and lifted from the dive boat into the helicopter and taken to Poole Hospital.
The third rescue of the day was a couple who had been blown out to sea from Kimmeridge in an inflatable kayak
Start of an eventful Saturday
This was just the start of an eventful Saturday for the crew.
The second incident occurred as the crew were returning from Poole Harbour after dropping off a relief lifeboat and picking up Swanage’s lifeboat that had just had some repair work completed.
Swanage Lifeboat Station said:
“On the way out of Poole Harbour, a small motorboat with engine trouble was spotted drifting in the flood tide at the ferry crossing.
“The lifeboat took the vessel under tow to a mooring in the harbour so that the vessel was no longer drifting in the main channel. A launch vessel from a nearby sailing club was able to assist with taking the vessel ashore.”
With the second rescue completed the lifeboat returned to the station but was soon called out again.
The inflatable kayak, that like a dinghy, lilo and paddleboard, can be quickly swept out to sea in blustery conditions
Inflatable kayak blown out to sea
This time, at 3.51 pm the crew was called to a report of an inflatable kayak being blown out to sea off Kimmeridge, a bay to the west of Swanage.
A member of the public had contacted the UK Coastguard to say that they had spotted an inflatable kayak that was in difficulty in the blustery conditions off Kimmeridge.
Swanage Lifeboat Station said:
“Our thanks to the vigilant member of the public who spotted the people in trouble and maintained a watch until the lifeboat arrived on scene.”
The lifeboat picked up the two people in the kayak and they were taken into the wheelhouse to warm up, while the lifeboat took them back towards Kimmeridge.
The lifeboat got as close to the shore as the shallow waters would allow and then the couple were able to get back in the kayak and paddle the short distance to the beach, where they were met by the Kimmeridge Coastguard.
