Members of the public have worked alongside rescue teams to pull a kitesurfer in distress from the water next to Ryde Pier this afternoon (Sunday).
The alarm was first raised shortly after 11:40 when the kitesurfer was seen to capsize and was observed to be struggling to remount his board. His precarious position, to the East of Ryde Pier, meant that he was being carried by the current towards the pier, and was soon swept underneath it.
Hovertravel saw the incident developing and diverted its Southsea to Ryde flight (as seen in the video below) to help assist the casualty. However, the kitesurfer was last seen heading towards Ryde Pier, out of the reach of the hovercraft’s crew, so they stood down and landed at Ryde hover pad shortly after.
Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue were tasked by HM Coastguard after it received 999 calls from concerned members of the public, as the kitesurfers equipment was getting further tangled in the pier supports.
Within minutes, it became apparent that GAFIR’s lifeboat was too large to retrieve the kitesurfer from his precarious position in the water beneath the pier, so the volunteer crew of Ryde Rescue – with their smaller and more agile boat – was launched to further assist.
The kitesurfer was soon plucked from the water and taken back to safety on land, with his equipment also being retrieved.
Rescue teams have since begun to stand down.
WATCH as the approaching hovercraft diverts to help the person in distress. Footage captured on the Railcam.uk webcam.
If you or someone else is in difficulty on the coast or at sea, or if you spot what you think may be unexploded ordnance, then dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Further safety information can be found at https://coastguardsafety.campaign.gov.uk/.
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what3words have divided the world into 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words, which means when you are in a remote area of the Isle of Wight you can get assistance much quicker without the need for local knowledge.
News Flash!
What happened to interesting and exciting news this is a waste of breath
On an island what do you classify as exciting news?
I was on the pier and saw the Hovercraft carefully get close up to the person in the water and a crew member was stood on the deck of the Hovercraft wearing a lifejacket, however, they couldn’t assist further and the crew member went back into the Hover and they landed at ryde.