A woman cut off by the tide at the base of Culver Down has been winched to safety – alongside a lifeboat crew member going to her assistance – in a joint operation between the Coastguard Helicopter, Coastguard Rescue Teams and Sandown & Shanklin Independent Lifeboat this lunchtime (Thursday).
The individual was walking along the base of the cliff, between Whitecliff Bay and Yaverland, when the tide came in, trapping her at the most easterly tip of Culver.
Help was summoned leading to the tasking of Bembridge and Ventnor Coastguard Rescue Teams and the launch of Sandown & Shanklin Independent Lifeboat.
Volunteer lifeboat crew located the casualty in an area known locally as The Nostrils. However, it is understood a crew member became injured during the rescue and thus became a casualty themselves.
With the woman still cut off and a crew member injured, the assistance of Coastguard Rescue 175 helicopter from Lee-on-Solent was called for. At the same time, Coastguard Rescue Officers prepared to lower a cliff man over the edge to abseil down to the casualties – if the rescue proved too risky for the helicopter.
The helicopter has, however, now successfully winched both casualties clear of the rocks and landed them on the cliff top at Culver.
Both the woman and the lifeboat crew member have been able to walk out of the helicopter – the latter with assistance from Coastguards with an apparent leg injury.
The incident – which has seen a Senior Coastal Operations Officer (SCOO) deployed – is being stood down.
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Check what time the tide will be coming in before going for a walk!!!! One person injured,the expense of a helicopter and the calling out of the RNLI all because of the ignorance of one woman!!!!!!!
I totally agree. Do these people actually have a brain, not to realise how dangerous it is? Not a care for anyone else’s safety? Does she feel any remorse for being an idiot? Was she a local or tourist????? I wonder!
she can’t have been very cut-off…
Low tide was @ 10:30am & high tide not until 5:30pm
so if it happend at ‘lunch time’, the water would only have been a few inches deeper than when she whent there…
probably didn’t want to get her shoes wet….
The tide times at Culver are a lot different to those at Bembridge. They are much nearer to those at Sandown.
A Google search results in:
Sandown Tide Times ; high, 02:05, 4.06m ; low, 07:38, 0.81m ; high, 14:29, 3.95m ; low, 19:55,
So at mid day, today, the tide would have been half way in, given that high was 2.29
It would also have been half way OUT
Those times I mentioned were for sandown!
Don’t trust Google
Don’t know where you got those times…
I’ve looked at 7 different predictions for sandown, for today & none said anywhere near the times you claim
Or she could have been a midget! Sorry probably humour not at this time but I could not help myself.
Should be pushing for grid references not W3W – or suggest both at the very least!
And how many people carry an ordanance survey map in their back pocket ???
Stupid woman ,obviously no sense of the tides . Injuring one of the wonderful rescuers plus the exspence of the helicopter. and the danger of the cliff man risking this life .
I’d have told her to sit it out.
These ignorant people are allowed to vote, God help us…
Bit naughty of the injured RNLI crew to cut her off.
This is why she should have had a man with her
Then there would have been two people to rescue.
you can only walk from Bembridge to Yaverland once or twice a year on the highest and lowest tides. The sea is always at the base of the cliff on the peninsular 363 days of the year.
I don’t think it’s possible without getting a little wet even on the lowest tide tbh, or at least a little climbing involved
Sort of morbid to even be hanging out there given the recent tragedy ?
Plenty of judgemental comments on here. Obviously she was on holiday and didn’t know that the tide would come in so quickly. Excrement happens. Thankfully, we have emergency services to help in these situations. Go easy on the poor woman.