A day at the beach took a terrifying turn when three children on a paddleboard were swept out to sea by strong winds off Anglesey, leaving onlookers “speechless” and “horrified”.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at Traeth yr Ora beach near Moelfre, where a former coastguard noticed the children preparing to enter the sea on a single paddleboard without any buoyancy aids.
The father, visiting the area with his family, was approached by the former coastguard, who warned him about the dangers posed by the 40mph offshore winds following Storm Lilian.
Despite the warning, the father insisted he was “experienced and knew what he was doing”.
Shortly after they entered the water, the children were quickly swept towards the horizon, in the direction of the dangerous rocks of Ynys Dulas. A second man, believed to be the father, attempted to rescue them on another paddleboard but also found himself in trouble.
Witnesses watched in horror as the situation unfolded.
“They disappeared towards the horizon nearly out of sight towards the dangerous rocks of Ynys Dulas. They were in great distress and danger,” the former coastguard said according to North Wales Live.
The coastguard and Moelfre lifeboat station were alerted and quickly launched a rescue operation. The inshore lifeboat was dispatched and managed to rescue the children and the adult, bringing them safely back to shore.
The children were described as “distraught, very cold, and very frightened.” The father was later spoken to by the police and coastguard.
Moelfre RNLI issued a statement advising against paddleboarding in such conditions, noting that “even the most experienced water users can be in trouble in such conditions.”
They emphasised the importance of wearing a flotation device and having a means of communication when heading out to sea.
The quick response from emergency services was credited with preventing a potentially tragic outcome, as the situation could have been much worse without their timely intervention.
