Giant inflatable duck sparks rescue mission

An inflatable duck drifted out to sea with 3 passengers and had to be rescued.

Three men in a giant inflatable duck had to be rescued when it got caught in strong winds.

The inflatable and the three friends who were at Westward Ho! beach got caught out by the strong tides and winds from the Bristol Channel.

The men were eventually rescued by a person out paddle boarding who managed to tow the men and inflatable back to shore.

A spokesperson for the RNLI said: “It is so dangerous to take inflatables out to sea, as an incident last night at Westward Ho! goes to prove.”

“Last night, Tuesday 4 June, the volunteers of Appledore RNLI were out in both their inshore and all-weather lifeboats on their normal Tuesday night training exercise, when they were tasked by the Coastguard to divert to Westward Ho! beach following a report from the public that an inflatable with three people onboard appeared to be drifting offshore.”

The statement continued: “The quick thinking of this member of the public with a paddleboard prevented a nasty situation from turning much worse. He was the real lifesaver of the day.”

All three men suffered no injuries or problems after their rescue.