12/10/2026
'No deed is greater than saving a life'
In May 2026, Zeyang, an international student from China studying in London, was saved by the volunteer crew at Newhaven RNLI, when he and a companion were cut off by the tide near the cliffs at Seven Sisters. Last month, he came back to the station to pay tribute to the crew with a special gift. 🥰🌊🛟
Zeyang, who loved this stretch of Sussex coastline so much he’d visited it eight times during his studies, had gone for a walk with a friend after seeing a post on Chinese social media recommending a walk under the cliffs. Unfortunately, the post made no reference to or warning of the risk of tidal cut off.
The pair had been walking for well under an hour, when the tide suddenly came up and cut off their safe route back. They had no mobile phone reception but used the flash on their camera to make SOS signals out to sea. Luckily, a boat saw their distress call and raised the alarm with HM Coastguard, who tasked Newhaven RNLI to save them.
In September, Zeyang returned to Newhaven’s lifeboat station to thank the crew members - Dan, Kath, Steve and Rich - for saving his life.
‘It’s a Chinese tradition to gift a 'Jin Qi' (pennant / flag) to someone who has saved your life, such as a doctor,’ he says. ‘It’s less common in the digital age, but I thought it would be a nice way of showing my gratitude to the volunteer crew at Newhaven.’
The Jin Qi now hangs proudly at the lifeboat station. Zeyang had the ornate red flag specially made in China, and the embroidered font reads, in English and Chinese characters:
‘To Newhaven Lifeboats… No deed is greater than saving a life’. ❤️💙
⚠️ Don't forget, there is currently a high risk of tidal cut off in the Birling Gap and Seven Sisters area this week, until Thursday 15 October. Newhaven RNLI publish tidal information throughout the year for anyone and everyone who may need reminding, or may not be aware, of the changing tidal ranges along our coastline.
📷 Credits: Newhaven RNLI
