Hayling lifeboat rescues stranded kite surfer

- Thu 2nd Oct 2008

A KITE surfer was lucky to be alive today after he was found clinging to his broken gear in rough seas, gale force winds and fading light.

The 48-year-old man's clothes were found on Hayling beach, triggering a massive search yesterday at 7.15pm.

He had been clinging to his kite and small board for more than two hours and was exhausted and suffering from severe hypothermia by the time he was found.

RNLI senior helm Ian Fiddaman and crew Andy Ferguson and Jasper Graham-Jones found him one mile from the beach 15 minutes after launching the Atlantic 75 lifeboat.

He had gone out kite surfing at 4.30pm and at 5pm his gear had broken and he could not make it back ashore.

Solent Coastguard co-ordinated the search in Hayling Bay using three RNLI lifeboats which battled 2.5 metre waves at the entrance to Chichester Harbour.

The casualty, who lives on Hayling, was taken back through the rough seas to Chichester Harbour before being treated and then taken to hospital.

Mr Fiddaman said: ''He was very lucky to be found so quickly as he was wearing a dark wetsuit and the black and white kite he was clinging to in the water were not easy to see in the poor light and rough sea.''

Mr Ferguson said that the kite surfer owed his life to Mr Fiddaman's professional boat handling skills in very difficult conditions and his local knowledge of the tides and currents.

The crew were training in the boathouse at the time and able to launch very quickly which also helped save the man's life, he said.

From Southern Daily Echo

By forum user, Bruce_Bennett

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