Hartlepool crew battled to save a 16-year-old boy stuck waist-deep in sand with a rapidly rising tide on 30 September 2011. The boy had got his foot caught when helping two younger members of his family from the water. The crew used a hose as a waterjet to loosen the sand around him, and dived under the water to loosen his foot. RNLI Mechanic Garry Waugh says: ‘He’s a very lucky boy – the tide was coming in fast and he was really stuck. This wasn’t a run-of-the- mill rescue for the lifeboat crew, but everyone worked together brilliantly and fortunately we were able to free him in time.’