Twins from Swansea played their part in helping to bring kayakers to safety after they found themselves in "extremely dangerous water". Jack and Harry Beynon, aged 21, together with their friend, Owen Milsom, 23, were out enjoying an evening in their Zodiac Pro 9 RIB boat when they noticed the pair in need a mile off Oxwich Point.
Jack and Harry's mum, Kate Beynon, explained how their family had a small campsite in Oxwich, and now that the boys were old enough, they were allowed to use the boat to go out and enjoy water sports and fishing activities.
They launched it yesterday - August 25 - at around 5.45pm as the tides were just turning, and Mrs Beynon admitted she "was none the wiser" about what happened until they came back. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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"I'm glad they didn't tell me!" she said. "They had been told by one guy that there were two kayakers a mile off that were in difficulty, so they went out and managed to bring one kayaker in, and the lifeboat brought the other one in. But it's not the first time they've had to do this. When they have been out and about before they've said, 'we had to pull two or three paddleboarders from Oxwich Point, kayakers from Oxwich Point.'
"Mumbles Lifeboat (which was stood down before reaching the incident) was out on another call at the time - they had reports of three incidents in the space of minutes - but it is a regular thing, they are forever pulling paddleboarders back in off Oxwich Point and kayakers - they've been doing it all summer."
In a statement, Horton and Port Eynon lifeboat explained how it launched twice within three hours, adding: "The second launch, at 6pm, was to a report of two kayakers being blown out to sea and paddleboarders in difficulty in Oxwich Bay. One of the paddleboards was said to have two young children on board. On arriving at Oxwich Bay the lifeboat crew quickly discovered that the two children were ashore.
"Another boat had taken the other paddleboarder on board and had taken her back to shore. The lifeboat crew then searched for the kayaks and found them one mile south of Oxwich Point. Another boat took one kayaker ashore and the lifeboat crew took the other kayak and kayaker to safety at Oxwich." You can read more stories about Swansea here.
A spokesman for the lifeboat said: "When going on the water in a kayak or on a paddleboard check the weather, tides and wind direction before setting out. Tell someone on shore where you are going and when you expect to return, you should carry a mobile phone or radio so that you can call for help if you need to. Also, ensure that you wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid. If you happen to see a kayaker or paddleboarder in trouble, please call 999 and ask for the coastguard."
Mrs Beynon explained the dangers of that area of water during an outgoing tide.
She said: "So many people have no idea of the currents. They have no idea that the Bristol Channel is probably one of the most dangerous straits of water. The tide runs back along Oxwich and they've got what they call the race, which is the outgoing tide of the Bristol Channel and the Bay, it's a fast running water. People have drowned over the years out there because they don't understand it. My boys are always told when they take the boat out that on an outgoing tide, they never go past what we call the horse shoe.
"It's sea awareness. People buy paddleboards and boats without training, not every beach is the same beach. Oxwich is safe until the tide turns and it was a strong offshore wind last night, so once you got out of the bay it was extremely choppy. I think it was about four foot 12."
The first incident attended by Port Eynon and Horton Lifeboat yesterday concerned another kayaker, who had his dog with him in the craft and appeared to be in difficulty. A statement read: "Shortly before 3pm on Thursday, August 25, One lifeguard went out on his lifeguard board to him and then alerted the coastguard. The Horton and Port Eynon lifeboat was launched and went to the aid of the kayaker who said he was ok and did not require assistance. The kayaker had his dog with him in the kayak. The lifeboat then stood by keeping an eye on the kayaker to ensure that he made it safely back to shore."
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