Lifeboat Crews Rescue 120 People Cut Off by Tide on Welsh Beach

Britain’s leading sea rescue services have urged people to check weather and tides before visiting the coast after volunteers in Rhyl, north Wales, reported the rescue of 120 beachgoers trapped by a rapidly incoming tide on Saturday, September 9.

Footage from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) shows numerous people on sandbanks at Rhyl beach as the tide rises around them. Volunteers rushed to warn people of the imminent danger and rescued those who “couldn’t make it off the shrinking sandbank in time,” the RNLI said in a press release.

Among the 120 people rescued were 80 children and teenagers, the rescue service said.

According to the RNLI, a member of the Rhyl volunteer lifeboat crew, Kevin Taggart, said, “The beach can seem like a big playground, but the tide can come in surprisingly quickly. As the tide moves up and down the beach, the depth of the water changes throughout the day, sometimes by as much as 10 meters, and can trap you on sandbanks, or in coves – 10 percent of all RNLI rescues in Wales are to people cut off by the tide. As the tide comes in, simply walking further up the beach and away to safety might not be an option. Always check the tide times before heading out and while on the coast, be aware of what the sea is doing around you.”

HM Coastguard Coastal Operations Area Commander Mike Buratti said “witnessing that many people cut off by the tide was unbelievable” and showed “how incredible yet dangerous the sea can be.”

Rescue crews got everyone back to the main beach within 90 minutes and no one was injured, Buratti said. “It’s great to see everyone enjoying the hot weather but it’s essential to be prepared too. Being cut off by the tide isn’t an uncommon incident at this time of year, but it’s an easy one to avoid," Buratti said. Credit: RNLI via Storyful

Video transcript

[INDISTINCT CHATTERS]

- Yeah, well I'll be real.

- Our little baby over there, Harry.

- There are 60 people here, Mark. 60 people here. You're going straight back across here?

- Yes, yes.

[INDISTINCT CHATTERS]

- The tide's coming in now. You're going to be trapped. You see where it is up to the lady's waist there. So what's happening, the tide's coming in. It's getting deeper there. And soon, it's going to be up to your neck.

So excuse me, sir! Can you make your way off the bank, please? The tide's coming in. It's really deep there. If you stay here, we'll get the boat because it's deep here. It's all right. It's OK. Calm down. We'll get you now.

- Come here.

- Come on, boy. Mark, all most of these-- all most of these ones here. Come here now, please! It was three sandbanks with some deep gullies that come. Obviously, the tides coming in. So are you happy to make your own way in?

- Yeah.

-Yeah.