Cave campers swamped Six cave campers at Tenby were taken by surprise in the early hours of 5 August, when the tide came in and washed their possessions away. They retreated further into the cave, but soon found themselves in deep water. When Tenby's D class Ceorgina Stanley Taylor arrived, the campers had reached higher ground but were cold and soaked through. The crew gave them first aid and dressed them in survival suits. Helmsman Philip John commented: 'I can't think of anything more dangerous than being asleep in a cave with the tide coming in to cover you. We're all so relieved that camping equipment is the only thing they lost - the sea could have taken their lives.' Sea sick One of the last places you'd want to be when struck by food poisoning is out at sea. Dozens of crew on a cargo ship suffered this fate off the Western Isles on 14 September.

Stornoway lifeboat came to their rescue and took six crew members ashore to be treated in hospital, where their condition was described as stable.Lasting the night During the night of 2 July, a lone yachtsman faced force 10 winds and 10-11m waves, 40 miles off the coast of Donegal. The experienced sailor harnessed himself to the yacht as it capsized repeatedly. In the early hours of the morning, the Arranmore Severn class lifeboat Myrtle Maud located the casualty, but had to wait for daybreak to safely attach a tow rope. Using their Y boat, the crew took provisions to the exhausted yachtsman, later transferring him to the lifeboat, with suspected broken ribs and hypothermia. On shore, an ambulance took him to hospital and the lifeboat returned to station after the testing 21-hour service.

Boy helps save windsurfer Eleven-year-old Ryan Gratton was out fishing with his grandfather on 4 August when they spotted a windsurfer in difficulty. From their boat, Ryan's grandfather helped the windsurfer and Ryan radioed Dover Coastguard, described what was happening and gave them the precise location of the casualty. The crew of the Eastbourne D class lifeboat Ted and Joan Wiseman 50 rescued the windsurfer and later praised Ryan for his calm and sensible actions in an emergency.

Five lifeboats rescue racing dinghies Lifeboats from Hartlepool.Teesmouth and Redcar launched to help 30 dinghies that capsized in gale-force winds on 28 August. The dinghies, competing in a 100-strong race in Hartlepool Bay, were caught out by a sudden and dramatic change in the weather. High winds pushed the boats five miles out to sea and spread them two miles along the coast. Lifeboat crews pulled sailors from the water and then helped recover the remaining 10 abandoned dinghies.Skilful boat handling and teamwork played a major role in this rescue but, for New Brighton Helmsman Mark Bland, decision making was the difficult part. Here's Mark's personal account While working at my office at Safe Water Training on Monday 18 April 2005, my pager was activated at 11.40am indicating'Launch ILB.' I drove to the boathouse: a number of crew had already arrived and were preparing the lifeboat and getting changed. I telephoned Liverpool Coastguard, who informed me that the 7m cabin cruiser Melody, with four people on board, was struggling in deteriorating weather conditions in the approaches to the River Mersey. Two of the four had been washed overboard. To find the two men overboard would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, not to mention the weather conditions.

On our way to the launch site I selected my crew for the B class Atlantic Rock Light.

In view of the weather conditions and the nature of the call out, I elected to go afloat with a crew of three, Mark Harding as Radio Operator, Greg Morgan as Navigator and myself as Helmsman. Chris Henderson, John Francom and Ian Bruce performed the duties of shore crew. The launch site was well sheltered from the strong westerly wind with plenty of beach exposed by the ebbing tide and we launched safely.

Once we left the launch carriage and turned to proceed in a north westerly direction, it very quickly became apparent that the effect of the wind against tide was going to give us an uncomfortable ride. The sea state was rough with large, white breaking waves visible in the shallows over the Great Burbo Bank and wind-streaked waves of approximately 4m in the channel.

At one point the wind ripped the visor off my helmet. It was impossible to maintain any vision due to the amount of spray, so the lifeboat was stopped briefly to refit my visor.

The further offshore we travelled, the worse the conditions became with waves of a greater size and wind speed in excess of 30 knots. The B class was fabulous, phenomenally capable. I had faith in the boat and the crew behind me. We made way as safely as the conditions allowed, often travelling at less than 12 knots, arriving on scene with the Melody at around 12.15pm.

On our approach we heard, much to our relief, that the two men overboard had been recovered. The skipper hadn't lost sight of the men and had quite miraculously retrieved them. His vessel was making way, slowly heading towards Liverpool for shelter. I came alongside to transfer a crew member, but Melody broached severely to starboard. We could see the deck was littered with fishing equipment. On the second approach Crew Member Mark Harding jumped safely onto the back of the cabin cruiser.

7 took a leap of faith.

Mark's boat handling was outstanding to get so close to the casualty.' Crew Member Mark Harding Hoylake all weather lifeboat Lady of Hilbre had launched and was making way. On board Melody, Mark reported that the two rescued men were suffering from the effects of the cold and one had sustained a neck or shoulder injury. Both were placed in the wheelhouse and stabilised. The lifeboat's first aid kit and oxygen were transferred onto the casualty whilst Melody's skipper continued to fight the large following sea with difficulty.

Conditions on board Melody were horrendous and the more seriously injured man began to deteriorate quickly.

i New BrightonWe were in a cleft stick. We were 5-6 miles from the station, in horrible deteriorating weather, with one man needing urgent medical assistance. Melody was only managing to make 4-5 knots towards Liverpool, the all weather lifeboat was up to an hour away and the Rescue 122 helicopter was not available.

What do I do? First, I directed Crew Member Greg Morgan to also transfer to assist Mark. They fitted a cervical collar to the injured man, placed a survival bag around him and administered oxygen therapy.

I witnessed Melody broach severely on several occasions, which must have been how the guys got washed out in the first place. At one point I saw the propeller of their boat and 50 per cent of the hull.

Concerned for their own safety and that of the casualty vessel, Mark Harding took the controls of Melody with the skipper's blessing while Greg monitored and reassured both of the immersion victims.

I decided to make towards the Pier Head, Liverpool. With Melody now making around 10-12 knots, she became much more stable and made good progress.

County Rescue [River Mersey Inshore Rescue boat] met with us and both boats escorted Melody down the Crosby Channel.

After about 30 minutes, extra oxygen was passed to us and then to Melody. One of the County Rescue crew, also an RNLI crew member from Hoylake, transferred to assist me in the B class.

County Rescue departed to make preparations at the Pier Head to transfer the men to the waiting paramedics.

Hoylake lifeboat arrived in the vicinity and stood by.

Mark Harding berthed Melody alongside County Rescue and the injured men made it safely ashore at around 2pm. My crew rejoined the lifeboat and we retrieved our equipment from Melody. Hoylake lifeboat stood down and began its passage back home.

We headed back to New Brighton where the lifeboat was recovered and transported back to station to refuel and wash down. The lifeboat was back ready for service at 2.52pm.

After the shout we were all exhausted from getting such a battering on the way out. My arms felt like they'd been pulled out of their sockets. Throughout this demanding service the performance of the lifeboat and my crew was exemplary. All I did was get them there! Without them, those we rescued would have been in a far worse condition.

Mark Bland New Brighton Helmsman 4 'It's a testimony to both the lifeboat and our training, which allowed us to go out and do the job.' Crew Member Mark Harding 'Your teamwork and determination in the most testing conditions that afternoon were in the best traditions of the RNLI. Well done!' RNLI Chairman Admiral Sir Jock Slater, in letters of appreciation to the New Brighton crewDrifting out to sea, Helen Hunt thought her time was up Sandra and Helen Hunt, two women from Birmingham, were on holiday at Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire on 1 September 2005. They were enjoying playing on their inflatable dinghies, until they started to slowly but surely move further and further from the shore. Caught in a strong current they drifted for 10 minutes until a member of the Mablethorpe lifeboat crew spotted them from the window of the lifeboat station. The D class lifeboat Patrick RexMoren quickly went to their aid. They later regretted not thanking the Mablethorpe crew and Coastguard properly when they'd been cold and in shock, so Helen wrote:'We were staying at Golden Sands on holiday. One of my brothers, my mum and I went into the sea with our dinghies. We'd been in and out of the sea all week, but we did feel something was different with the sea that day. It was a tot calmer; not a lot of waves.

'We hadn't been in the water long when noticed I couldn't control where I was going, so I shouted to my mum not to leave me. When she paddled over and my brother headed back to shore, I thought everything would be OK.

None of us realised the trouble we'd soon be in.

'We noticed that we were going further out. No matter how hard we tried, we just could not get to shore. I was terrified; I felt so useless. We tried shouting to my brother but he could not hear us. He saw us and swam towards us, but we could see that he, too, was struggling. That's when I think he realised we needed help, so he got out and ran.

'My mum kept repeating that as long as we can see the shore, we'll be OK, but I was hysterical and couldn't calm down. I knew my mum was trying to be brave and not scare me. She got out of her dinghy in the hope that she could pull me along, but she soon became very weak and cold. I really thought our time was up.

'Then we heard a rocket. My mum said they're going to come, but I did not want to get my hopes up. Then I turned around and saw the orange lifeboat and it was only then that I calmed down.

Everyone involved from Mablethorpe station was so lovely. I have never met-such a caring bunch. I will never forget what they did for us. We are here today because of them. They will always have a place in my heart.

'I've learned my lesson. The sea may be fun, but only if I'm careful.

Danger is not always seen by the eye. If, for one second, you feel a little unsure, take a step back and don't move on anymore.

Don't let the sea take your life.' Helen HuntDon't get carried away RNLI lifeboat crew and lifeguards work hard to provide a rescue service from the beach to the open sea, rescuing people like Helen. Fewer lives would be put at risk if members of the public followed safety advice, as Mablethorpe Crew Member Claire MacDonald recommends: 'Please take care with inflatables - the majority of our shouts are for dinghies and rubber rings. Take notice of any warning signs and be aware that offshore winds can take inflatables out very quickly. Have fun with them on the sand or in a pool, not in the sea.'THE INSHORE LIFEBOAT D class Thomas Campbell D-447 (relief fleet) Funding: Legacy of Mr Edwin Ramsden THE CREW Helmsman David Maguire (pictured top) Crew Members (pictured bottom L-R): Simon Gulliver, Lorraine Calvin, Sinead Casey WEXFORD LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 2002 THE CASUALTIES Three adults on 9m yacht Joint Venture THE CONDITIONS Weather: Part cloudy Visibility: Using night vision kit visibility good (5-10 miles) Wind: Force 4 Sea state: Rough, 1-2m wavesWhen the yachtyo/nt Venture ran aground on Dogger bank during the early hours of 28 June 2004, one of her crew contacted the Coast Guard for assistance. As yet, nothing indicated that this would be anything but a routine tow for the local lifeboat The Rosslare all weather lifeboat would be too large for such shallow waters, so it was Wexford's D class, Thomas Campbell, that was called upon.

At 2.01am Lifeboat Operations Manager Nick Bowie paged Helmsman David Maguire and Crew Members Simon Gulliver, Lorraine Calvin and Sinead Casey. He placed four crew instead of the usual three, as he thought one would most likely need to board the yacht.

At 2.15am the inshore lifeboat launched into a calm, moonlit harbour but as she emerged from its shelter, conditions became rough.

Battling through 1-2m waves, the crew used their night vision equipment to find the yacht in her reported position - but the sandbank had shifted 100m to the west. Now,_/o/nt Venture was in a precarious position at the very edge of the seaward side of the bank: heeled over, pounded by the surf and already half full of water. David recalls: ' What had looked like an ordinary service turned out to be very nasty indeed.' Unable to board, the crew made numerous attempts to get close enough and to throw the tow rope. Eventually, someone on the yacht managed to catch and attach it securely. The strong wind and waves made the lifeboat move violently on the end of the line and the crew had to take turns at the helm. After 30 minutes of trying to pull joint Venture off the sandbank and with the safety of the increasingly tired crew paramount, David decided to abandon a tow.

Meanwhile, the tide had ebbed, making a direct passage in the lifeboat to the casualty impossible so the crew devised an alternative course of action. David skilfully beached Thomas Campbell on a more sheltered stretch of the sandbank with the intention of evacuating the yacht.

Shining a light from the lifeboat into the darkness, Simon could just make out the yacht.

The passengers, blinded and disorientated by the battering waves, needed help quickly. Risking his own safety Simon climbed out of the lifeboat and waded towards the yacht, waist deep in the water.

He instructed the passengers when it was safe to jump and guided them, one by one, safely along the bank and into the lifeboat.

At 4.15am, all seven people, lifeboat crew and passengers, returned safely to Wexford lifeboat station - quite a feat in such a small craft. Later that morning, the stricken joint Venture was found by her owner. She was a total loss, her hull damaged beyond repair.

For their determination, teamwork and skilful handling of the lifeboat in surf at night, Sinead and Lorraine receive a letter of appreciation from the RNLI's Chief Executive.

Simon receives a framed letter of thanks from the Chairman for his part in the service as does David for his 'seamanship and leadership in most testing conditions'.ifeguards in action_ For five months of the year, RNLI lifeguards work to protect beach users from harm, using ail their training and experience to deal with a vast array of life-threatening incidentsEmergency comfort A woman injured her back on a speedboat ride and collapsed in agony on 22 August. Once on Bournemouth pier.Tricia Lee came around and recalls that RNLI lifeguards were there with their first aid and words of comfort.

Lifeguards fitted a neck collar and then gave her oxygen. Tricia wrote to the lifeguards involved thanking them for their help: 'I am still hobbling about.

My belly dancing is on hold for a while yet! Thank you all once again for your help that day.' A severe blow Late afternoon at Polzeath, Cornwall, on 28 August 2005 RNLI lifeguards spotted a young woman being helped out of the black and white flagged area. While surfing, the woman had taken a blow to the back of her head from a surfboard.

The lifeguards carried the unconscious casualty out of the water and put her in the recovery position where she came around, coughing. She was in shock and suffering from hypothermia, so the lifeguards gave her oxygen, wrapped her in blankets, set up a windshield and reassured her until a paramedic arrived and then helicopter Rescue 192 arrived to take her to Truro hospital.The kiss of life In Weymouth, Dorset, on 30 August 2005 RNLI lifeguards saved an elderly male who had collapsed face down in the water.

Discovering the man wasn't breathing and had no pulse, they inserted an airway, started resuscitation and administered oxygen. The casualty showed signs of life and a pulse was found. Soon a cycle paramedic arrived and lifeguards helped carry the man to an ambulance.

Waving, not drowning On 5 September 2005, RNLI lifeguards from Bantham and Sedgewell Cove saved four young canoeists. Bantham lifeguards found two of the children out of their canoes, waving and shouting and another two hanging on to an upturned canoe, severely distressed. Between sets of waves the lifeguards reached two of the boys and pulled them into the inshore rescue boat.

Promising the other two that they would be back, they quickly beached the pair with a Sedgewell lifeguard and returned.

Lifeguard Joe Olroy-Owen recalls that one of the children had inhaled a lot of water: 'The smallest lad was taken to hospital by ambulance - if we hadn't been there he could well have drowned.' Ten-year-old Jonathan wrote to the lifeguards.As part of their daily routine, Mawgan Porth RNLI lifeguards check the rocks on the southern end of the beach before the incoming tide cuts anybody off. On 23 June 2005, they spotted a couple sunbathing on a rock ledge. As the pair was near the cliff path, the lifeguards were unconcerned. With over 2,000 people on the beach, they turned their attention back to patrolling between the flags.

A few minutes later the lifeguards checked again. The pair hadn't reached safety via the cliff path; they'd climbed onto an isolated rock outcrop and were sitting there, apparently relaxed. Behind them was a 30m sheer cliff. Using a megaphone, the lifeguards now encouraged the couple to move, explaining that they could easily wade to safety if they went now. When, five minutes later, the couple hadn't moved, the lifeguards warned them once again.

Senior Lifeguard Anton Page recalls: 'We couldn't understand why the couple were just sitting there. At one point the man was smoking. This may have been an attempt to calm his nerves, but in fact it just wasted valuable time.' All this time, the higher the tide got, the more the waves were smashing against the rocks. The situation was getting serious, so Anton sent Lifeguard John Hamilton to check on the couple.

John swam with his rescue tube out to the rocks. As soon as he reached them, John discovered why the pair hadn't followed instructions: they couldn't speak English. The tourists, thought to be from Eastern Europe, were confused and beginning to panic. John signalled for the woman to come off the rock ledge and join him in the chest-deep water, but she refused. The man had now left his partner to her own devices and was scrambling across the rocks with his gear. John radioed back to base for assistance.

Within minutes, the water deepened with a strong current and large surf and John still couldn't coax the woman into the water.

Anton joined John while Lifeguard Mark Richards remained on patrol and monitored the rescue. Anton pulled himself out of the water and climbed 3m up the rocks. He was familiar with the area, but the climb was no mean feat with large surf pounding the rock face.

Up on the ledge, Anton remembers thinking:'If I can't get her off the rocks quickly, I won't be able to get her off at all. There was no time for help to arrive, with the tide and big swell running. In another 15-20 minutes they would have been smashed into the cliff face.'Words were useless; it was time for action. Anton took a firm hold of the woman and jumped with her into deep water. Once off the rocks, she calmed down and cooperated.

To get away from the strong current and the rocks, Anton paddled out through the surf break with the woman on his rescue board.

Then the surf helped push them back inshore to safety.

Meanwhile, as feared, the man was knocked off the rocks by a large wave. John reacted quickly, assisting him back up onto the rocks. He guided the tourist along a ledge back to shore.

Lifeguards reunited the pair and gave them first aid for cuts and grazes. Anton recalls: The couple were understandably rattled and embarrassed. Despite this, they still managed to thank us in broken English.'RNLI lifeguards had their busiest week of the year in early August 2005.

In just three days, they dealt with a staggering 368 incidents involving rip currents The peak of activity came on 8 August, when at one point lifeguards rescued 35 people at Perranporth, Cornwall. There were around 500 people in the sea when the flash rip current struck. It tore sand from under paddlers' and swimmers' feet so that they were suddenly out of their depth.

Andy Thomas, Beach Lifeguard Supervisor, recalled: There was a lot of panic in the water and people were calling for help as they were being swept out to sea.' Lifeguards from Perranporth and Perran Sands, along with some extra lifeguards training that day, headed out to sea. From the roof of the rescue vehicle at the water's edge, one lifeguard coordinated the work of the nine lifesavers in the water. They had to make split-second decisions about who was in most danger, rescue them and then come back for more. Lifeguard Dickon Berriman recalled: The situation quickly escalated with more and more people drifting out.

Lifeguards on paddleboards and rescue tubes helped keep everyone afloat and calm and the two inshore rescue boats and the rescue watercraft did several trips to shore.' Lifeguards took only five minutes for the mass rescue. They checked the casualties on the beach and all were unharmed. Proud of his fellow lifeguards, Andy commented: 'My team was able to use its training to ensure the rescue was carried out quickly and safely.

Had we not been there, there's no doubt that many people would have drowned.1 From 7-9 August, RNLI Lifeguards saved 17 lives when rips hit busy beaches all along the northern coast of Devon and Cornwall.

Incidents included: • Sudden and severe rip currents at Constantine caught several swimmers and body boarders off guard. Three lifeguards rescued 10 people.

• Porthtowan Lifeguard Jos Lawrence recalls: 'A strong rip started kicking up in the bathing area. A large group of people were taken out past the breaking waves.' Good teamwork from lifeguards in an inshore rescue boat and on a rescue board saved all 15.

• Lifeguards had just completed their day's work at Widemouth Bay when they rescued six youngsters in difficulties in a rip current.

Greg Spray, Area Lifeguard Manager (Carrick), explained why it was such a busy period: 'Rips can occur at any time but the beaches were packed, so a lot of people were caught out.

'At Perranporth on 8 August there were quite long lulls in between the waves, which encouraged people to be more adventurous.

The surf was about 1m and the tide surged in as well causing a large increase of water above sea level. This created a "flash" rip as the body of water rushed back seaward to find its own level, taking a sandbank out from under people's feet.' (Look out for the coverage of the mass rescue at Perranporth in Seaside Rescue on BBC ONE.).