Mother and son rescued by crew from Littlestone RNLI after drifting out to sea while paddle boarding
11:29, 09 September 2019
updated: 12:09, 09 September 2019
A mother and her young son were rescued after being swept out to sea while paddle boarding.
The woman, who was on the board with her four-year-old son, called 999 as she was struggling to make it back to the beach at Hythe.
The Littlestone RNLI inshore lifeboat was deployed, and found the duo in difficulty 1.2 miles from the coast.
The pair, who were "a little cold and wet", were said to be "very pleased" to see the volunteers arrive.
They got onboard the lifeboat and were taken back to the beach at Hythe and checked over, but didn't need any medical support.
The incident happened last Thursday at 10.50am.
Dean Miller boat helm said: "Luckily the female casualty had the means with her to be able to call for help and knew to call 999 and ask for the coastguard.
"They were very lucky today but did everything right to enable the lifeboat to assist them as quickly as possible and essentially save the lives of herself and her son."
On return to the station, the crew assisted in another call to the UK Coastguard involving a commercial fishing vessel that was snagged with fishing nets around its propeller, off Littlestone shore.
After initially trying to cut the boat free of the nets, the volunteer crew made the decision to tow the fishing boat to its home on Dungeness beach.
Following the paddle boarding incident, the RNLI released advice about how to 'stay safe' on the water.
This includes always telling someone where you're going and when you'll be back, keeping a phone or communication device on you, and checking weather and tide times before setting out.
In addition, people are reminded to wear suitable clothing and a personal flotation device.
