When a man was washed off Whitley Bay promenade into a very lively sea on 20 June, the B class lifeboat from Cullercoats was sent to help.

The man was being repeatedly thrown against the promenade, but the water was too shallow for the lifeboat, and too rough for an RNLI lifeguard who had tried to swim to the rescue. He was saved eventually in the old-fashioned way, when he was thrown a rope from the lifeguard truck and pulled to safety, with the help of police, the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade and members of the public.