Around 3pm today, our assistance was requested by Dover Coastguard who were concerned about a person adrift on a small inflatable craft some distance off Folkestone Warren.
Rescue 1 was launched immediately to recover and assist the person, and we were informed that Dover RNLI and Kent Police were on their way.
On Rescue 1’s arrival, it was discovered that the person was actually the same individual with an inflatable mattress who had been blown onto rocks the previous day.
This time, the individual had been taken out to sea on their mattress by the tide, and was having difficulty paddling back to shore.
Rescue 1 assisted the person to the Warren, while Dover RNLI arrived at the scene to coordinate with Dover Coastguard, NCI Folkestone, and Folkestone Rescue.
Once ashore, the person was again given safety advice, before being met by one of our lifeguard patrols and escorted to Sunny Sands. The person was then handed over to Kent Police, who gave further advice before releasing them.
We strongly advise against taking small inflatables (such as mattresses, rings, and small dinghies) away from the shoreline. These are not robust enough to withstand strong waves or rocks, and the wind & tide can easily carry you out to sea and into danger.
News articles about this incident:
BBC News – “Airbed man rescued for second day running off Kent coast.”
The Telegraph – “Albanian tourist on airbed rescued twice in one weekend after drifting out to sea off Kent.”
Kent Online – “Albanian tourist rescued off Folkestone after drifting out to sea twice in two days.”
The Folkestone Herald – “Tourist rescued TWICE in two days after inflatable lilo mishaps.”
