Seven students have been rescued after getting stranded on Worm’s Head, a tidal island off the Gower Peninsula, in challenging stormy conditions.
The group, consisting of five women and two men, were American students studying at Swansea University. They had decided to visit the island, but were cut off by the incoming tide.
The rescue operation, which took place on Saturday, saw lifeboat volunteers make four separate trips to bring the group to safety in Rhossili.
Jon Tarrant, one of the volunteer crew members, described the rescue as “challenging.” He explained, “The swell was up to two metres and the rise and fall of the water presented difficulties in picking up the people and also returning them to shore at Rhossili.”
Despite the difficulty, the students were described as “extremely grateful” for the rescue, with many expressing their amazement that all the crew members were volunteers.
The RNLI team worked tirelessly to ensure the students’ safety in the dangerous conditions.
Worm’s Head is typically accessible on foot for about two and a half hours either side of low tide. However, due to the swift arrival of high tide and strong winds, the island can become inaccessible much earlier than expected.
Lifeboat operation manager Lawrie Grove highlighted the importance of checking local tide times before attempting to walk on or near the coast.
“I would remind people when walking on or near the coast to make sure that they check local tide times and plan walks accordingly,” he said. ”
“They should never try to swim or wade to shore when cut off by the tide, it is extremely dangerous.”
