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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Saving Lives At Sea

47 replies

toohotforthistwinmummy · 23/07/2022 19:59

Honestly this programme terrifies me. AIBU to never ever do anything but paddle in the sea?? Anyone had a awful experience which out them off going into water ever again?

OP posts:
SirGawain · 23/07/2022 21:05

Agreed on all points. The RNLI seems like a fantastic organisation. Not a penny in government subsidy, I believe.
It works best that way. Can you imagine what a mess it would be under government control!

Original poster
toohotforthistwinmummy · 23/07/2022 21:07

SirGawain · 23/07/2022 21:05

Agreed on all points. The RNLI seems like a fantastic organisation. Not a penny in government subsidy, I believe.
It works best that way. Can you imagine what a mess it would be under government control!

very true

OP posts:
ShinyMe · 23/07/2022 21:08

I love how much I've learnt from watching Saving Lives as Sea, about water safety, things like secondary drowning, what to do if you fall in the Thames, what to do (and not do) if other people get into difficulty, that sort of thing. And I love how it restores your faith in people - how these volunteers just get on and do what's necessary to put other people first.

I got talking to a volunteer who was collecting outside the station in Conwy a few weeks ago, and somehow we touched on refugees and the furore over the channel rescues etc. He said he'd been shouted at not half an hour earlier by a couple calling him what he said was 'very nasty names' and who got very irate about the fact that the RNLI should stick to saving 'our own'. It sounded like the volunteer had been very calm and professional about it (he said he'd said something like 'sir, we are an organisation that saves lives, we don't discriminate which lives, that's not our role') but I don't think I could have been so polite.

ShinyMe · 23/07/2022 21:10

RewildingAmbridge · 23/07/2022 21:05

We live by the coast, saving lives at sea is my 3.5 year old's favourite show. Even the really terrifying ones! Luckily it seems to have given him respect for the dangers of the sea and he idolises our local RNLI team. When they had their open day and he got to meet them and go on the boats and watch them demo a rescue in the sea, he was beside himself. It does mean I watch more of it than I would otherwise, but better that than paw patrol!!

I love that! The station in Conwy was having a bit of an event a few weeks ago and there were 2 very excited small children wanting to try on the hats and recognising the types of boat.

NotReallyTheVicar · 23/07/2022 21:16

The difference that the RNLI made last year!

Saving Lives At Sea
Maverickess · 23/07/2022 21:16

Another one who lives by the sea and I work on the sea front, people massively overestimate their ability and underestimate the sea IME.
Not just that but we have some impressive but dangerous cliffs too, that people have been known to sit/camp right on the edge of or try and climb down, and not just tourists.

I've seen many rescues first hand and also have friends who volunteer on the lifeboats or work for the coastguard and this time of year many sirens you hear are coastguard call outs, and considering most RNLI are volunteers it's amazing what they do to save others.
There's signs and information everywhere here, yet people still get caught out year after year. But as a pp said, you don't need to fear the sea, but you do need to have a great deal of respect for it and know your own abilities and always err on the side of caution. Always. Read the signs and warnings, look up tide times, stay away from the edges of cliffs and know what to do should something go wrong.
The only predictable thing about the sea is that it is unpredictable.

AuntViv · 23/07/2022 21:17

When I was 18 I went to America as part of those USA work experience things. One day on our day off, my then boyfriend and our friend decided to go on those body boards to the sea.
However you had to pay $5 to use the beach before 5pm as that's when the lifeguards were there. We couldn't afford it so decided to go after 5pm.
We got in and didn't go out far at all, the sea didn't even look rough. I was knee deep when suddenly I got taken out by a wave wfh had knocked the wind out of me so I got out to get my breath back.
Suddenly I heard my boyfriend and friend calling me, they had drifted further out and were struggling to get back. The waves were quite bad now and they were caught in a rip tide. I had to call 911 and luckily both were saved but we learnt a big lesson that day. Also found out a lady had died the day before from being caught in a rip tide in nearby beach.
It was beyond stupid of us to think it would be okay after 5pm and we learnt to respect the sea a lot more after that.

wherearebeefandonioncrisps · 23/07/2022 21:19

Twice .
Once in Force 10. Ship should not have left Roscoff but so many ships had been delayed that there was a huge backlog.
Waves so high and strong that the front windows , where the restaurant was , smashed and water poured into the upper decks.

Second time, I was on a ferry that collided with a smaller ferry off the Hook of Holland. Passengers were 'moved' from the other ship to ours.

Really don't like boats/ferries.

MargaretThursday · 23/07/2022 21:29

And don't go in after your dog please.
When I watch that I'm reminded of the time when a dog went in off Blackpool, followed by owner to rescue dog, then 3 policemen to recue the owner. The only one that got back alive was the dog.

I have to admit to liking Bondi Rescue too.

terrywynne · 23/07/2022 21:30

I love this show, and I think it does a good job of showing that the sea can be dangerous. The interviews can be cheesy though and they seem to reuse the same footage a lot - I'm sure the first series didn't do that but maybe I am misremembering.

I did some things as a teenager that I look back on with horror now - I swam a lot at the time (in pools) and it made me quite cocky when we went to the beach. I was lucky it never ended badly.

I actually do watersports now but I would always take lessons before trying a new sport ie: I wouldn't go kayaking without a lesson just because I know how to paddle board. And I always wear suitable clothes, lifejackets etc. Also always check the weather forecasts (and tide times at sea), and either go somewhere with safety cover or make sure some knows where you are going and how long for. I have also done my fair share of watching friends from the beach so there is someone to call 999 if anything goes wrong. You can never be totally safe at sea (even experienced professionals have issues and need help) but with some simple precautions you can minimise the risk and, if something goes wrong, give yourself the best chance of surviving until help arrives.

CactusFlowers · 23/07/2022 21:38

This reply has been deleted

This post has been deleted as it breaks out Talk guidelines.

CactusFlowers · 23/07/2022 21:39

Oh, can we not add links?

Augend23 · 23/07/2022 21:41

What did you post (approx description)? Links aren't banned as a whole.

CornishGem1975 · 23/07/2022 21:51

Most the people featured on these programmes are bloody idiots who put themselves and others in danger. Respect the sea!

Original poster
toohotforthistwinmummy · 23/07/2022 21:55

BirmaBrite · 23/07/2022 21:49

Jesus that’s terrifying! What a brave boy! He is so so lucky they found him. This is what scares me the most, my girls are only 3 years old but the thought of losing sight of them anywhere is terrifying but especially in the sea 😩

OP posts:
ShinyMe · 23/07/2022 21:57

The RNLI shared a lovely clip on Twitter earlier about a little boy (maybe 9 or so) who saved another little boy he saw caught in a rip tide. He knew about the float to live things, and calmed the other kid down, got him to float on his back, and then gradually towed him in. What I especially liked is that the lifeguard then got close enough to intervene, but didn't, and let the boy do the saving himself (while staying close enough that he could have jumped in if he'd struggled).

BirmaBrite · 23/07/2022 22:03

I don't think that's entirely fair @CornishGem1975 , there are plenty of experienced people on the programme who have been caught out and its good to show that because it shows that even with the best planning in the world, the sea doesn't always work to our rules. Showing people the best way to deal with being caught out is a good thing.

heyitsthistle · 23/07/2022 22:39

I got caught in a rip tide on holiday in 2015. I realised I was being taken out pretty fast, and I knew that I should swim parallel to the shore to exit the rip, but all logic leaves you when you're panicking. At one point I thought I was going to die... "This is how I go".

Luckily I managed to get the attention of a surf school, and they came over to help. By the time they got to me I had exited the rip and could stand up, so it looked as though I was making a fuss about nothing. However, I really learnt to respect the sea after that.

heyitsthistle · 23/07/2022 22:40

I should say it's not really put me off the sea, but I prefer to swim in rivers and lakes these days! Plus I always look at maps and tides so that helps 😉

WudYouSayItInRealLife · 24/07/2022 00:56

@terrywynne The interviews can be cheesy though and they seem to reuse the same footage a lot - I'm sure the first series didn't do that but maybe I am misremembering

I think the first series didn't have the cheesy interviews too. I much preferred it like that.

A lot of this type of fly-on-the-wall shows seem to think that they need to add extra emotional stuff or dramatic music or voiceovers when the events are really interesting in their own right.

PeloAddict · 24/07/2022 01:39

Never had any scary moments but I'm really wary - my grandads quarry was next door to our home, and every year people drowned or came close in it. They wouldn't listen to the fact it was icy cold and incredibly deep and in summer it stayed just as cold
I LOVE water Grin when it's hot I just want to be in a river or the sea but I prefer to stick to paddling or splashing about

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