Ventnor Coastguard Rescue Team

31/05/2026

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24/05/2026

‼️ ⬇️⬇️ ‼️

Mud can trap you faster than you think.

If you get stuck or get into trouble along the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

23/05/2026

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Taking a dip in the sea on a hot day? ⛱️

Don’t be fooled, just because it’s sunny doesn’t mean the water is warm.

Entering cold water, whether deliberately or accidentally, can cause cold water shock.

When this happens, you may gasp involuntarily, followed by rapid breathing that can be very difficult to control. This can increase the risk of inhaling water and drowning.

Never jump straight in. Instead, enter the water slowly to help your body adjust, and avoid swimming alone. Wearing a wetsuit can also help by improving buoyancy and reducing the effects of cold water.

Don’t forget to have warm clothes ready for when you come back to shore.

In an emergency at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

21/05/2026

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Temperatures over the next few days will be unusually high for this time of year 🌡️

While it may feel like a summer’s day, the sea will still be fairly cold so take care if you’re heading to the coast this weekend 🌊

01/05/2026

🚨 April 2026 roundup 🚨

It got busier for us in April and we responded to 18 incidents throughout the month including:

📟 6 x casualty evacuations ⛑️
📟 1 x water tasking 🌊
📟 2 x helicopter landing sites 🚁
📟 2 x mud rescues 🚨
📟 4 x rope taskings
📟 2 x searches 👀
📟 1 x investigation 🔎

Training this month has consisted of mud rescue, rope rescue practice, local knowledge and casualty care. In addition, we had an exercise with Cowes Lifeboat practicing water rescue techniques, casualty care and joint working. Earlier in the month we participated in a rope revalidation exercise with our area management team. Our skills in technical rescue such as this have to be assessed every three years by an instructor.

As we move into the warmer part of the season (hopefully), you will see us at some public engagement events across the island over this period which are always subject to operational requirements of course. If you see us out and about, come and chat with the team to see more about what we do.

28/04/2026

👇 Do you know what the role of the Officer in Charge (OiC) is? This short video explains in more detail what is required. There is an OiC on every incident and training session we attend who is easily identified in the tabard shown here.

24/04/2026

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04/04/2026

🚨 March 2026 roundup 🚨

In March we responded to 13 incidents altogether including:

📟 2 x casualty evacuations ⛑️
📟 4 x water rescues 🌊
📟 5 x helicopter landing sites 🚁
📟 2 x mud rescues 🚨

Training this month has consisted of mud rescue and rope rescue practice. In addition, our Officer in Charge (OIC) qualified team members had a separate session to keep their skills up to date on a live scenario involving multiple casualties and on scene management. At every tasking we have an OIC who leads and manages the incident response on scene.

We participated in a successful mud rescue practice session with our flank teams, along with our area management team and training centre colleagues. This was primarily focussed on rescue techniques and casualty care in landslip mud which gives us additional challenges to consider. As with any mud incident or practice, it takes many hours to clean the kit so it’s ready to go again!

As we posted earlier in March, we said farewell to our Nissan Navarra after 18 years service. Our replacement truck saw its first tasking within the first 24 hours of it going operational.

Finally, we were really pleased to welcome three new Coastguard Rescue Officers who have joined the team and are now operational. They started their training in January and completed it at the end of March with them responding to their first incident within a matter of days of being on call.

14/03/2026

Last week it was time to say farewell to our Nissan Navarra. It was issued new to the team and served us for 18 years carrying our rescue kit and Coastguard Rescue Officers. Originally designated as ‘Ventnor Mobile’, then ‘Ventnor Mobile 1’ and latterly ‘Ventnor Mobile 2’ it also served as a relief vehicle across other Isle of Wight teams when needed.

Moving into the future, another vehicle within area became available which is now operational with the team alongside our existing Mitsubishi L200.

03/03/2026

🚨 February 2026 roundup 🚨

February saw us respond to 10 incidents during the month as follows:

📟 1 x casualty evacuation ⛑️
📟 1 x water rescue tasking 🌊
📟 1 x investigation 🔍
📟 1 x rope rescue tasking 🧗‍♂️
📟 4 x helicopter landing sites 🚁
📟 1 x civil contingencies 🚨
📟 1 x suspected ordnance 🧨

We continue to train every week and this month we have trained in casualty care, rope rescue, water rescue, core skills, setting up our portable mast and map work. One of our training sessions involved spending an evening with the Ambulance Service for the team to be familiar with the kit carried to assist with future joint working. In addition, two of our rope tech’s spent the day with our flank teams practicing new skills.

Some of our newer members of the team spent an evening at our local helicopter base at Lee on Solent and the Operations Room (Joint Rescue Coordination Centre) for further awareness.