Experienced paddleboarders rescued after being caught out by tide

TWO experienced paddleboarders had to be rescued after getting caught up in a fast-moving tide off Lepe.

Called out around 1.25pm last Sunday as it prepared to launch for its second training exercise of the day, a Calshot RNLI crew was guided to the pair by the team at the National Coastwatch Institution’s Lepe Park base.

They found them struggling to head back towards shore, and returned the pair to the care of a Lymington coastguard rescue team.

A post on the Calshot Lifeboat Facebook page said: “Despite their experience and capability, they were caught out by the 5.1m spring tide, showing that even experienced water users can get into difficulty and require assistance.

“To give an indication of the strength of the current, in the time that it took to recover the casualties and their equipment, our lifeboat had drifted approximately half a mile.”

Shortly after 2pm the previous Thursday, the Calshot crew had rushed to the aid of a swimmer who got into difficulty near the entrance to the Beaulieu River.

Another post on Facebook said the casualty had been successfully rescued and returned safely to shore.