Seven people rescued on Worms Head in Storm Éowyn
It happened on Saturday morning.
Last updated 27th Jan 2025
Seven people have been rescued from Worms Head during Storm Éowyn.
On Saturday at 11.17am, the volunteer lifeboat crew from Horton and Port Eynon RNLI launched their lifeboat following a report of two people in the water, and others stranded on Worms Head Rhossili, who were cut off by the incoming tide.
The RNLI lifeboat made its way to Worms Head and located seven people. The group were American students who were spending some time at Swansea University. The group was made up of five women and two men.
The students were checked over and then taken on board the lifeboat so they could be taken back to Rhossili. The lifeboat had to make four separate trips because of the number of people and sea conditions.
The students were extremely grateful to the crew and said they could not believe that all the crew were unpaid volunteers. The volunteer crew of the lifeboat were Stuart Payne, Jon Tarrent and Jermey Littlejohns.
Jon Tarrant said: "This was a challenging rescue. The swell was up to 2m and the rise and fall of the water presented difficulties in picking up the people and also returning them to shore at Rhossili. It was also a rough passage to and from Horton to Worms Head."
Lawrie Grove, Lifeboat Operations Manager for Horton and Port Eynon Lifeboat Station said: "I would remind people when walking on or near the coast to make sure that they check local tide times and plan walks accordingly.
"Never try to to swim or wade to shore when cut off by the tide, it is extremely dangerous. The causeway at Rhossili that leads to Worms Head is usually open 2 ½ hours either side of low tide and the times it is open are displayed near to the causeway.
"Sometimes the causeway will close earlier when high winds accelerate the incoming tide. You should take a means of communication with you and, if you find yourself in difficulty or see someone in difficulty on or near the coast, phone 999 and ask for the Coastguard."