Cromer RNLI rescues man who jumped in the sea to rescue his dog
He's urging others not to follow in his footsteps
A dog owner in Norfolk's been dramatically rescued from rough seas after he jumped in the water to save his pet.
Volunteers from the RNLI received a report from the 33 year-old Curtis Johnson around 7am on Saturday saying his dog Rex had jumped off the sea wall along Cromer promenade.
Mr Johnson then entered the water to attempt to rescue of his dog.
Two Cromer RNLI volunteers immediately made their way to the promenade while a lifeboat prepared to launch.
The two volunteers were able to throw Curtis a life ring and talk to him and keep him calm until the lifeboat arrived.
Curtis said: "I wasn't familiar with the area and while Rex has excellent recall he ran off and jumped so quickly. It was such a shock. I can only think he thought it was like one of our local beach walking spots where the sea wall and the sea are the same height.
"I was really panicked and it was a passer by who told me to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard and not just jump straight in. I entered the water as safely as I could and got to Rex however it was clear it wasn't going to be easy to get out."
"I urge people to not let their dogs off leads when near water"
The situation quickly turned into an emergency.
Strong and powerful waves cut Curtis off off from the promenade steps, and as the tide quickly came in both Rex and Curtis were being thrown around in the sea close to the sea wall.
The emergency was filmed by a local angler who had also called the Coastguard on 999.
Reflecting after the ordeal, Curtis said: "I want to say a huge thank you to the volunteer lifeboat crew from Cromer RNLI - it was a super fast response and I know from talking to them after one of them was woken by the pager going off. Members of the public also helped along with the Coastguards and I am also grateful to everyone."
Following the shock of the incident Curtis is keen to share safety advice, adding: 'I urge people to not let their dogs off leads when near water, regardless of their recall.
"I also want to remind everyone that you call 999 to get in touch with the Coastguard, as many people, including myself, do not know that.
"Rex and I are ok but very shaken by our experience and I want my story to help others to make the right choices and stay safe at the Coast."
"A challenging rescue"
Paul Watling, Cromer RNLI Coxswain/mechanic who was one of the first on scene said: "This was a challenging rescue due to the location of the casualty and the dog. Together with another volunteer we immediately went to the sea wall, located the casualty and threw him a life ring while keeping him calm while the lifeboat launched. Thankfully both the casualty and his dog were rescued but this could easily have ended differently.
"We strongly urge people not to enter the water to attempt a rescue when a dog enters the sea. The animal will usually return safely on its own. On these occasions the best advice is to dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard."
Cromer RNLI Helm, Kevin Johnson said: "Given the high tide, and a lively sea state plus the large rocks in the water as part of the current sea defence work we had to carefully work as a team to effect a safe rescue.
"'The casualty and his dog were cold and tired and being pushed against the sea wall. Thankfully despite the conditions, and the casualty’s location we were able to manoeuvre the D class inshore lifeboat into position and get the casualty and his dog safely onto the lifeboat and then back to the station."