Power against the surfsurfer and Redcar lifeboats were tasked to find and rescue the lifeguard who had disappeared in the waves On 15 August 2003 a Royal Life Saving Society lifeguard spotted a surfer in difficulty at Saltbum Beach and paddled out to her on his board through the breaking waves. He reached the surfer and managed to get her onto the rescue board but, as they headed back to shore, a huge wave hit them and the board was lost. A second lifeguard couldn't reach the pair, so she ran to call the Coastguard for help. On her way she passed local surf shop manager Nick Noble and told him what was happening.

The Atlantic 75 lifeboat Leicester Challenge II launched from the beach at 2.50pm with Helmsman Mark Reeves in command. The D class Peterborough Beer Festival I launched shortly after.

Heavy seas hampered the progress of the lifeboats to Saltbum, 3.5 miles to the south east of Redcar, with a heavy 3-4m swell running from the north.

Back at the beach, Nick, a qualified lifeguard and experienced surfer, saw that the surfer and lifeguard were both in trouble. Without a thought for his own safety he paddled out to them. He reached the woman quickly on his surfboard, but could not rescue the lifeguard - he had disappeared in the surf.

The Atlantic 75 lifeboat arrived on scene as Nick took the woman to the shore on his board.

This enabled the lifeboat to search for the missing lifeguard immediately, saving valuable time.

Waves in excess of 3m breaking from 200m offshore obscured the crew's view of the area. Mark remembers:'! knew, due to the heavy ground swell, that locating anybody in the water was going to be very difficult, especially if they were in the surf.' The short distance between the sets of breaking waves meant that he couldn't steer a route through clear water, so Mark briefed his crew before entering the surf to search for the missing lifeguard. He told them: 'to keep a sharp look out and be prepared to hang on.' He chose his wave and ran into the heavy surf. Mark knew the lifeboat was near her limits, but trusted that she could cope: 'The lifeboat was outstanding despite the very heavy ground swell and broken water she was in. There is no better boat for the job in those conditions.' Crew Member Jonathan Danks spotted the yellow T-shirt of the lifeguard about 30m away. The lifeguard was being thrown around violently in the surf. He was under water most of the time, exhausted after 20 minutes in the water it was vital that the crew recover him at the first attempt.

Had a second attempt been necessary, the crew believe that the lifeguard would have been lost.

Mark turned the lifeboat towards the casualty and, balancing the need for power against the surf, effectively glided the lifeboat towards the casualty.

The lifeboat took on around six broken waves before getting close enough to the casualty to reach out to him. Crew Member Thomas McNamara grabbed one hand, Jonathan caught the other and they pulled the man aboard. They placed him on the bench seat and kept him secure despite constant broken water washing through the lifeboat. Mark took the lifeboat seaward, vertical at times. After taking on another five waves they cleared the surf and reached the relative calm of the clean swell.

On board the lifeboat, the casualty was responsive but shivering. Mark remembers:'! will never forget the look on the casualty's face when he realised he was in safe hands: he looked me in the eyes and said "I thought I was going to die".' He was suffering from the onset of hypothermia so the crew put him in a survival bag and fitted him with a lifejacket. Mark judged that they needed to get him back to shore straight away for professional medical care.

With the D class now on scene the casualty was transferred to her from the Atlantic.

Mark explains: 'This was the safest way of getting the casualty ashore quickly to the waitingambulance. It's much easier to manhandle the D class than the Atlantic on the shore edge and get her back to sea again.' Jonathan too was transferred with the casualty to the D class.

Four people on board made for an uncomfortable passage, but the D class reached the beach safely.

After taking the casualty to shore, the D class picked its way back through the surf. Through the last six large waves Helmsman Mark Greaves had to balance power against speed. An ambulance crew treated the lifeguard and the female surfer on the beach and they were then taken to hospital for observation.Mark Reeves is to be presented with the Thanks of the Institution on Vellum for his role in the rescue. He's proud of the award: 'It's nice to receive a pat on the back for any job you have done, but this one will be for all the family to see.' Mark Greaves, Thomas McNamara, Jonathan Danks and David Bourne will each receive a letter of appreciation from the Chief Executive of the RNLI. Mark Reeves praised his Atlantic 75 crew and the good teamwork of both inshore lifeboat crews, the shore helpers and tractor drivers: 'Being part of a lifeboat crew is like having an extended family. The nice part is knowing that all the training, hard work and dedication is worth every minute and everyone at the station can be proud of that.THE LIFEBOATS Atlantic 75 B-580 Leicester Challenge II Funding: Leicester branch of the RNLI D class D-523 Peterborough Beer Festival I Funding: Visitors to the Peterborough Camra Beer Festivals in 1995 and 1996 ATLANTIC 75 CREW Helmsman: Mark Reeves Crew Members: Thomas McNamara Jonathan Danks D CLASS CREW Helmsman: Mark Greaves Crew Member: David Bourne REDCAR LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 1802 RNLI Medals: One Cold, one Silver and one Bronze THE CASUALTY A surfer and a lifeguard THE CONDITIONS Weather: Cloudy Visibility: Good Wind: Westerly force 4 Sea state: Rough, 3m swell.