A major rescue operation was launched on Monday after reports of five kayakers in difficulty off the coast of Anglesey, North Wales. The event started around 2.15 pm when the kayakers were spotted near North Stack. The RNLI Holyhead inshore lifeboat initially searched the area but found no one, concluding that the group might have been carried further out by strong tides and blustery conditions.
Subsequently, the all-weather lifeboat was dispatched for a more comprehensive search. One solo kayaker was located and instructed to head towards Gogarth Bay, but was not found there. A wider search found this kayaker elsewhere, and they were safely brought aboard a lifeboat.
Trearddur Bay RNLI also deployed their lifeboats as conditions worsened. Two kayakers were found near South Stack cliffs and directed to a nearby beach for assessment by volunteer cliff rescue teams. The remaining two kayakers, including one initially reported in the water, were eventually located and rescued. One kayaker suffered from exhaustion, cold, and ingestion of water. All five were brought safely back to shore.
Holyhead coxswain Mark Wade acknowledged the challenging search conditions, citing the sea conditions and bright sunshine as complicating factors. All kayakers were well-equipped but had been overcome by the strong tides. Wade credited the successful rescue to teamwork among the RNLI crews and cliff rescue volunteers.