RNLI rescuers save missing kayakers miles from shore amid ferocious seas

In a dramatic rescue documented on the BBC programme Saving Lives At Sea, Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteers from Portaferry, County Down, saved two kayakers who were stranded nearly three miles offshore as 50 mph winds battered Kilclief Beach.

With the coastguard helicopter diverted to another task, Portaferry's single lifeboat faced challenging conditions, including heavy rain, poor visibility and large, rolling waves. The episode shows six volunteers preparing to launch and braving the high seas as the inflatable kayak carrying the two paddlers drifted further from shore.

The kayakers had managed to call the station on a mobile phone to report that they could not make it back, prompting the urgent rescue operation. The crew’s efforts were complicated by the weather, which had whipped up the water and reduced visibility, leaving rescuers to weigh how long they could continue searching as light faded.

During the mission, one kayaker was briefly jettisoned from the craft amid the enormous waves, raising concerns for the crew. As the rescue progressed, crew member George cried out, spotting what appeared to be the paddlers at nine o’clock and calling in his confession later on: he had glimpsed two figures but was unsure at first. Fellow crewmate Dave described the fleeting sight as a moment of relief amid the tension. Rusty, another rescuer, recalled how the group felt after the sighting: the paddlers had come a long way from where they started, and the team was amazed to realize they were still together.

The lifeboat eventually reached the kayak, and both paddlers were brought aboard after the crew deployed a life raft nearby. They were visibly pale, cold and shaking, but were quickly assessed by paramedics who met them back onshore and later cleared them for discharge. The rescue, captured on the programme, underscores the dangers of Strangford Lough’s mouth, where Portaferry sits at the entrance to one of Ireland’s most challenging stretches of water.

The RNLI, a charity staffed largely by unpaid volunteers, operates more than 400 lifeboats from 238 stations across the country. Portaferry’s role in this operation highlights the constant readiness of volunteer crews to respond to emergencies in some of Ireland’s most demanding maritime conditions, often with limited access to air support when winds are high and seas are unsettled.

The episode notes the fierce nature of the weather: the tides can move at eight to nine knots, generating standing waves at the entrance to the Strangford Lough area when wind opposes tide. Rescuers described the conditions as ferocious in the moments before launch, and the team acknowledged that the decision to launch under such conditions is never taken lightly. In the end, the two kayakers were saved and treated promptly, a testament to the crew’s training, teamwork and resolve in the face of peril.