A 999 call by a member of the public reporting that a person was in difficulty in the water off of the Sandown coastline prompted an immediate response from lifeboat and Coastguard Rescue teams yesterday afternoon (Sunday).
Solent Coastguard received reports that someone was in difficulty in the water near to Sandown Zoo at Yaverland shortly before 15:30, initiating the immediate launch of the nearby Sandown and Shanklin Lifeboat. Within minutes the lifeboat and its volunteer crew were on scene and conducted a search of the area.
Bembridge Coastguard Rescue made contact with the member of the public who spotted the person in the water, who then helped direct the search.
Thankfully, it was soon discovered that a fishing pot marker buoy was mistaken for the person in difficulty resulting in the emergency teams being stood down.
A spokesperson for SSILB said:
“We would like to thank the general public for keeping an eye to the sea, this time it was a false alarm, but there could be a time when it is a person and they could be in need of our help.
“Please dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard, we would rather check, then leave it to a possible situation and help someone if needed”.
