13-year-old helps save man who fell into water near Southend pier, by alerting RNLI volunteers

A young teenage boy played a crucial role in helping save a man who was spotted struggling in the water near Southend Pier, after falling from his kayak.

Emergency services were called at 3.25pm on Wednesday 8 April, when members of the public standing on the pier spotted a person in difficulty around 400 metres offshore.

Volunteers from the RNLI Southend station were immediately paged by HM Coastguard and launched their inshore lifeboat, D-904 ‘Sue Sorotos’, just five minutes later at 3.30pm.

Family’s quick thinking spots distress in the water

One of the eyewitnesses, Alice Rider, described how the situation unfolded while her family was walking along the pier. She said:
“We were walking across the pier and noticed the man on his kayak in the distance. On the way back from the pier, my nephew noticed that the man’s boat was empty and then told us he had fallen out of it.

“We looked closer and realised he was very far in the distance waving his arms and screaming for help! My partner then made the 999 call and other family members ran to the RNLI to notify them. Thanks to my 13 year old nephew, this man was noticed and saved.”

Her nephew’s awareness proved vital, with the alarm raised quickly enough for a rapid emergency response.

Lifeboat and helicopter respond within minutes

The RNLI crew headed to the scene at best speed and arrived moments later, where they located the distressed man in the water after he had fallen from his kayak.

A Coastguard helicopter, already nearby, also attended to monitor the situation from above and assist with locating the casualty.

The man was recovered by lifeboat volunteers, who carried out an immediate welfare check before bringing him safely back to shore, where an ambulance crew was waiting.

“Outstanding service” from volunteers

Southend RNLI volunteer Nigel Gilchrist praised both the crew and the members of the public who raised the alarm. He said:
“Our volunteers responded extremely quick to their pagers requesting an immediate launch, launching D-904 in just five minutes although there was a very slight delay due to heavy traffic on Southend seafront.

“The volunteers carried out an outstanding service in very short time ensuring the safety of the casualty. The vigilance of the two members of public who reported the person in distress also undoubtedly played a major part with the safe recovery of the casualty”

Casualty treated and released

After reaching shore, the casualty was taken to the RNLI station where ambulance crews, HM Southend Coastguard Rescue Team, and local police officers were standing by.

He was given a further health check before being released, requiring no additional medical treatment.

Meanwhile, RNLI volunteers returned to sea to recover the man’s kayak, which had drifted slightly further offshore, before returning to station at around 4pm.

If you ever see someone in trouble at the coast or at sea, you should call 999 and ask for the Coastguard immediately.