Abersoch RNLI have rescued seven paddleboarders caught in offshore wind.

The coastguard paged the crew at 3.44pm Saturday, 6 August after receiving a call from a passing yacht with an RNLI Llandudno crew member on board. The yacht crew picked up seven casualties - three adults and four children - who had been blown out to St Tudwal’s sound on the outgoing tide. They had been unable to make any headway due to the westerly offshore wind and were suffering from cold after having been in the water several times. The four children had lifejackets.

The casualties were transferred to the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat and assessed. They were suffering from cold but required no further medical attention.

The volunteer crew left the scene at 4.27pm and returned the casualties, along with their equipment, to Abersoch Main Beach slipway where they were handed over to the care of the coastguard team.

The lifeboat returned to the lifeboat station at 4.40pm where it was then thoroughly washed down, refuelled and left ready for service by the shoreside volunteer crew.

Andy Gundy, Abersoch RNLI volunteer helm said: “Please follow the advice found on the RNLI website (rnli.org/safety/choose-your-activity/stand-up-paddle-boarding). Check the weather forecast, tide times and avoid offshore wind conditions. Take a means of calling for help, wear a suitable personal flotation device and wherever possible go to supervised beaches.”

He added: “Our thanks go to all those who assisted during this incident.”

If you do get into difficulty, or spot someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.