Lifeboat rescues paddleboarder who became stranded more than a mile offshore

A paddleboarder who had been blown more than a mile offshore amid windy weather conditions has been rescued by lifeboat.

An RNLI lifeboat team was called out at 10am on Sunday to assist two paddleboarders near Portobello beach in Edinburgh.

One of the boarders was close to the shoreline but the second had been blown 1.6 nautical miles (2.9km) into the Firth of Forth by strong southerly winds.

The crew were able to reach the male boarder, who they describe as being “very cold” upon retrieving him. They then took the man back to the beach via lifeboat.

Neil Chalmers, the crew helm, said: “We arrived to find one paddleboarder making it to safety of the beach but one was still unaccounted for.

“Fortunately, the first informant had managed to keep eyes on the casualty and stay on the phone to the coastguard.

“They were able to guide us to the second casualty, who we soon located 1.6 nautical miles offshore.

“The male casualty was very cold but had managed to stay on his board whilst the wind blew him further offshore into increasing wave heights.

“We got him onto the lifeboat and took him back to Portobello beach, where coastguard rescue teams from Fisherrow and Queensferry were waiting.”

He added: “The man was very lucky to have had someone onshore who kept him in sight and was able to guide the lifeboat to locate him.

“We would always recommend that you check the weather prior to going paddleboarding, particularly on the sea.

“A buoyancy aid and means of calling for help are also essential. There is further information available on the RNLI website.”