Teenage paddleboarder swept out to sea in Gwynedd praised for safety measures which may have saved him

A teenage paddleboarder who was swept out to sea in Gwynedd has been praised for taking safety precautions which may have helped to save his life.

A rescue operation was launched after the boy got into difficulty whilst out on his board in Aberdaron Bay at around 3.45pm on Saturday.

The volunteer crew at Abersoch RNLI was sent out shortly after and arrived on the scene within 20 minutes.

On arrival, the team was informed by the coastguard that he was no longer on his board and was in the water.

It is believed he had abandoned it in an attempt to swim ashore but ended up being swept out to sea.

An immediate search was launched to find him with members of the coastguard looking from the cliff tops to see if the child could be spotted,

However their efforts were hampered due to the wind and tidal conditions.

Luckily the boy was carrying his mobile phone in a waterproof pouch and was able to describe his location to police between Ynys Gwylan and Aberdaron headland and a helicopter was used to assist with the search.

Around 20 minutes later, he was seen in the water and recovered from the water into the lifeboat.

The boy, who was wearing his lifejacket, was said to be extremely cold and confused.

His rescuers said he appeared to have swallowed a significant amount of water and was showing signs of hypothermia.

His condition was assessed as serious and he was given immediate first aid before being airlifted by the waiting coastguard helicopter to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

He was released the following day and both he his father later visited the lifeboat station to collect his belongings and express their gratitude to the volunteer crew.

RNLI helm Fritz Williams said the rescue could have been very different were it not for the boy’s preparation in wearing a lifejacket and having a means to call for help.

Commending the actions of the teenager, he said: “This call-out shows just how crucial a lifejacket is and having a means of calling for help.

“A lifejacket can buy you valuable time in a time-critical situation whilst you wait for help to arrive.

“Staying with your vessel/flotation device can help you to keep warm out of the water and also make you easier to find.”

(Video/Image – RNLI)