Whitby Coastguard

Whitby Coastguard HM Coastguard Whitby is a Search and Rescue Team, part of the Coastguard Rescue Service. This page is not monitored 24/7.

Whitby Coastguard are a Search and Rescue Team and form part of the Coastguard Rescue Service of HM Coastguard. We are equipped and trained to carry out Searches, Rope Rescue and Water Safety and Rescue in addition to a number of other functions. We are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to emergencies and incidents on the coast. In all coastal emergencies dial 999 and ask for the

Coastguard. If you are interested in joining us as a volunteer, please leave a message or email [email protected]

🚨Incidents are rising, it’s not a number we can celebrate🚨Over 14 young people have lost their lives in water related in...
31/05/2026

🚨Incidents are rising, it’s not a number we can celebrate🚨

Over 14 young people have lost their lives in water related incidents across the UK during this half term heatwave alone. Behind every headline is a devastated family, grieving friends, and a community changed forever. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.

Here on our coastline, we’ve also seen a rise in incidents in recent weeks. We’ve responded to searches along side other services including Whitby RNLI lifeboat along the cliffs, reports of people in difficulty in the water, paddleboards drifting out to sea, and mobility scooters getting into difficulty on steep ground. We’ve also attended several highly sensitive mental health incidents to which we will make no further comment at this time.
These incidents are a reminder that even familiar places can present unexpected hazards, and they highlight the importance of safe access routes such as our towns cliff lift being available and functioning.

📍What concerns us most is that these tragedies aren’t limited to one type of location. They’re happening at beaches, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, waterfalls, beauty spots and along our coastline. Places that are often visited for a day out, a walk, a paddle or an instagram post.

The common factor is often a lack of understanding of just how quickly a situation can change.

Water that looks calm can be dangerously cold. A river can be far more powerful than it appears. Rocks around waterfalls can be slippery and unstable. No understanding of what happens to the water underneath the surface. The consequences of not wearing buoyancy aids or life jackets at sea. Tides can cut off escape routes far quicker than expected. Even on warm days, cold water shock can affect anyone, regardless of age, fitness or swimming ability.

We aren’t sharing this to alarm people or stop anyone enjoying the outdoors. We live and work in some of the most beautiful places in the country and want people to enjoy them safely.

⏱️Please take a few minutes to check the conditions before you head out. Understand the risks, carry the right equipment, and have a plan. Talk to your children and young people about water safety. Those conversations may feel small, but they can make all the difference.

The incidents we attend are a reminder that water deserves respect wherever you find it, at the coast, in the dales, beside a river, around a lake, or beneath a waterfall.

‼️Please don’t assume it won’t happen to you or someone you know. Every family affected by these tragedies probably thought the same. It could be your child, your sibling, your partner, your friend. Please take water safety seriously and look out for one another.

Take care of yourselves and each other this summer.

📟On call for our community 24/7
💙Your Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team

Happy Birthday to Dave from all of us at Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team! 🎉After many years on the team, Dave has mastered...
26/05/2026

Happy Birthday to Dave from all of us at Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team! 🎉

After many years on the team, Dave has mastered plenty of Coastguard skills… but none quite as impressive as his ability to spot a camera from 200 metres away and immediately become front and centre or strike a pose. 📸😎

Whether it’s training, team photos or somehow appearing front and centre at exactly the right moment, Dave never misses an opportunity for a good picture.

All jokes aside, he’s a valued part of the team, has given many years service to the town of Whitby and always keeps spirits high with his humour… or highly intellectual sarcasm 😂

Have a brilliant birthday Dave, we’ll try not to post too many dodgy photos of you… no promises though. 🚨🎂

A fantastic example of multi-agency working in the early hours of this morning alongside Staithes Coastguard, Redcar Coa...
25/05/2026

A fantastic example of multi-agency working in the early hours of this morning alongside Staithes Coastguard, Redcar Coastguard Rescue Team, and Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team and North Yorkshire Police
As this was such a team effort we felt there was no need to report it twice, Staithes Coastguard have it covered below if you’d like to read more ⬇️

☀️It’s going to be a hot one! ☀️With the warm weather and bank holiday bringing so many people to the coast this weekend...
23/05/2026

☀️It’s going to be a hot one! ☀️

With the warm weather and bank holiday bringing so many people to the coast this weekend, we just wanted to put a gentle reminder out there to take care while enjoying it all. ☀️🌊

It’s been a busy few weeks for the team between incidents, training and even some recent school visits talking to children about staying safe around the coast, and one thing we always try to get across is that the seaside can change very quickly, even on the calmest, sunniest days.

Over the last week our teams have attended incidents along the coastline, and while we won’t comment further on those, it’s a reminder that a simple family day out can become something very different in a matter of moments.

Cold water shock remains a real danger, even in hot weather. The sea temperature is far colder than many people realise, and entering the water unexpectedly can quickly become serious.

If you’re heading out walking the cliffs or coastal paths, take your time, keep back from unstable edges and always keep an eye on children and dogs near cliff tops and steep drops. If you’re exploring beaches, coves or rock pools, check the tide times before you set off and make sure you leave yourself safe exit routes.

And with the heat itself, please carry water, stay hydrated and don’t underestimate how tiring a long coastal walk can become in the sun.

We’re always happy to stop for a chat if you see us out and about over the weekend, whether that’s on patrol, or training around the clifftops. We’d always rather people ask questions, check tide advice or call us early if something doesn’t feel right.

Most importantly, we want everyone to enjoy the coastline safely and head home with good memories for the right reasons.

If you ever see somebody in trouble on the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. 📞

📟On call for our community 24/7
💙Your Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team

11/05/2026

A wonderful afternoon spent with Hawsker-cum-Stainsacre C of E Primary School children today.

We had a great time talking about the impact of what we do and why we do it. There were so many brilliant questions and a lot of knowledge from these youngsters today- we were very impressed!

Til next time guys 🫡

💙Your Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team

🚨 Call Out for Whitby Coastguard🚨Not every shout starts where you expect it to…This evening, whilst some of the team wer...
28/04/2026

🚨 Call Out for Whitby Coastguard🚨

Not every shout starts where you expect it to…

This evening, whilst some of the team were over at Staithes for a really useful session with the ops room, a call came through reporting what was believed to be a paddleboarder being blown out to sea.

👉Plans quickly changed.

Whitby team members made their way back towards Whitby, working closely with the ops room to get eyes on as quickly as possible and build a clearer picture of what we might be dealing with.

With various search teams split up and positioned around the pier, pavilion and promenade, and binoculars on the water, it was soon established that what had been seen offshore was not a paddle boarder but the North cardinal buoy.

Once fully confirmed, all units were stood down.

🛑It might not have been a person in the water this time, but it’s exactly the kind of call we’d always want to receive, if in doubt, always call.

If something doesn’t look right, or you’re unsure, it’s always better to let us know. It gives us the chance to assess things early and respond quickly if needed.

As we’ve said before, social media isn’t the right place to check or discuss, every minute counts regardless of false alarm with good intent, or what turns out to be a real threat of harm to life. The first informant did the right thing tonight.

📟when the pager goes off, we will respond 24/7

⚠️remember…
📞 If you ever see anyone in difficulty at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

💙your Whitby Coastguard rescue team

📟 Behind the scenes with the Ops RoomTonight, teams from Whitby, Staithes and Redcar came together for a joint input fro...
28/04/2026

📟 Behind the scenes with the Ops Room

Tonight, teams from Whitby, Staithes and Redcar came together for a joint input from Jordan from the Coastguard Operations Room.

It’s not always the dramatic cliff rescues or night searches that people see… but this side of the job is just as important.

The Ops Room is the hub of everything we do.
Every 999 call, every piece of information, every tasking decision starts there.

Jordan talked us through how incidents are managed from that first call, how information is gathered, prioritised, and then passed out to teams on the ground. The terminology, the structure, the constant flow of communication… all designed to make sure the right resources get to the right place, as quickly and safely as possible.

For us on the ground, understanding how the Ops Room works isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.

Because when it works well, it means:

🚨Clear, accurate tasking
🚨Better situational awareness
🚨Safer decision making for our teams
🚨And ultimately, the best possible outcome for casualties

It was a really valuable session for all involved, and especially for our newer recruits - building that understanding early on is key to becoming an effective Coastguard Rescue Officer.

There’s a huge amount of coordination that goes on behind the scenes, often involving multiple teams and agencies, all working from the same shared picture.

And that shared picture starts with you👈

📞 A quick but important reminder

If you see someone in difficulty on the coast, or you’re unsure about a situation:

‼️👉 Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard

Getting that information directly into the Operations Room makes a huge difference.

Posting on social media, or trying to assess a situation from a distance, can delay the response and lead to inaccurate information being passed on.

The Ops Room needs:

📍An exact location
⚠️What’s happening
🔢How many people are involved
⛔️Any immediate risks

Even small details can completely change how an incident is managed and which resources are sent.

What might seem minor can escalate quickly, and early, accurate information helps us get the right help there without delay.

A big thank you to Jordan for taking the time to deliver the session, and to all teams who attended.

Working together, on the ground and in the Ops Room, is what keeps people safe along our coastline.

📟always on call for our community 24/7
💙your Whitby coastguard rescue team

🛑Not every training needs to be dramatic…Last night’s training focused on something far less eye catching, but absolutel...
22/04/2026

🛑Not every training needs to be dramatic…

Last night’s training focused on something far less eye catching, but absolutely critical to what we do as a team.

Rope rescue foundations.

We spent the evening revisiting indirect set ups and mechanical advantage systems, including z-drags, building on the core skills that sit behind every cliff rescue. Tools we have the box for when space is limited for set ups and for recovery methods.

Because when we’re stood at the top of a cliff, whether it’s in bright sunshine or at 3am in the wind, driving rain and dark, there is no room for uncertainty.

These systems need to be second nature.

The session was deliberately set at a slower pace, giving space for problem solving, discussion and learning.
Less experienced team members were given responsibility for setting up systems, supported by those supervising which created a safe environment to ask questions, build understanding, and develop confidence in a technical environment.

By taking the time to break things down and talk through each stage, the team developed smoother, more efficient and systematic setups, with a clear understanding of how each system works and why it’s used.

A solid understanding of systems like these are essential, not just for efficiency, but for safety.
1️⃣For our rope technicians who go over the cliff- putting trust in their team at the top
2️⃣And for the casualties we’re working to reach.

It might not look like the most dramatic training from the outside, but these are the sessions that matter most.

They’re what prepare us for the moments when it really counts.

🚨If you see anyone in trouble in or around our beautiful but deceiving cliff tops then don’t hesitate to call 📞 999 and ask for the coastguard.

📟training and working to keep our community safe 24/7
💙Your Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team

🚨 Incident – Whitby Coastline 🚨This afternoon (Sunday 19 April), HM Coastguard received reports of two persons cut off b...
19/04/2026

🚨 Incident – Whitby Coastline 🚨

This afternoon (Sunday 19 April), HM Coastguard received reports of two persons cut off by the tide below Whitby Pavilion, with one casualty believed to be in the water, and a second heading out to them.

Whitby RNLI lifeboat were tasked and launched their inshore lifeboat, to begin a shoreline search for the casualties while Whitby Coastguard Rescue Team was deployed to assist and begin shoreline searches. Staithes Coastguard Rescue Team also attended, supporting with search teams along the Upgang Ravine area.

The incident was initially reported by North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue crews while they were on another call. Without the capability to safely access the water, Whitby Coastguard Team was requested alongside flank team Staithes Coastguard.

On arrival, teams carried out a search of the area, liaising with Whitby inshore lifeboat and Humber Coastguard operations room, thankfully, the casualties had managed to make their own way to safety.

We’re really glad this ended safely.
But incidents like this are happening far too often at the moment.

🌊 Tide cut-offs, this is where people get caught out

Along this part of the coast, it’s very easy to walk around a headland or into a small bay… and not realise your way back is disappearing behind you.

What looks like a safe route in can quickly become completely cut off.

We see it time and time again:
‼️ Small coves with no exit once the tide turns
‼️ Steps and access points that become unusable
‼️ Narrow stretches of beach that vanish faster than expected

👉 If you can’t clearly see your way back out, think twice before going further.

🧭 Plan your route, not just your destination

It’s not just about getting there, it’s about getting back safely.

👉 Check tide times before you go
👉 Allow more time than you think you need
👉 Avoid relying on a single access point
👉 Be cautious exploring “just a bit further” around cliffs and headlands

🥶And just to touch on it, the sea is still cold

If you do end up in the water unexpectedly, cold water shock can take hold quickly.
Try to control your breathing and float if you can.

📞 If something isn’t right, call early

Don’t wait until the situation worsens or your exit is gone.

Dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard

🙏 Thanks to Staithes Coastguard Rescue Team, Whitby RNLI and North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue for their assistance today, thankfully a positive outcome.

Stay safe and keep an eye on those tides.
💙Your Whitby Coastgaurd rescue team

Address

Captain Cook Crescent
Whitby
YO224

Telephone

+441262672317

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