Warning To Paddleboarders After 11 Assisted This Afternoon

‘Think carefully about whether your skills are up to the conditions.’

That was the warning from Port Erin Coastguard after they helped the village’s lifeboat crew to rescue multiple paddleboarders caught out by offshore winds in the bay.

The emergency services ended up helping 11 people on Saturday afternoon.

The lifeboat team launched four times and assisted eight people and rescued another three while recovering a ‘scutch of paddle boards’ .

Posting on social media, an RNLI spokesperson said: ‘Please, if you are planning on hitting the water on your own, or with your family, be prepared.

‘Take the right equipment and look out for each other. There were some people today that didn’t know their family were in imminent danger.’

One group were stranded below Bradda Head, a spokesperson from the coastguard added: ‘If the wind is blowing at your back and out to sea think carefully about whether your skills are up to the conditions.

‘Also as a parent please be aware of where your children are, especially when they are on the water.’