Three rescued after inflatable duck drifts into Bristol Channel

Three people on a gian inflata

duck have been rescued after it drifted out into the Bristol Channel from a beach in Devon.

Witnesses reported how the men pumped up the duck, which has been nicknamed Quackers, at Westward Ho! and took it out to sea along

with a friend on an inflatable kayak. Within five minutes they had drifted about 75 metres from the beach and the friend in the kayak tried unsuccessfully to push them back to shore. The coastguard was called when the inflatable was 200 metres offshore.

A member of the public went out to the duck on a paddleboard to try to save the men. Struggling against the current, the man managed to tow the inflatable closer to shore, where the men all jumped out and swam to the beach. The inflatable was immediately blown back out to sea.

Volunteers from Appledore Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) were out in their lifeboats on a routine training exercise when they were asked by the coastguard to assist the men. The inshore lifeboat arrived as the men made it back to shore safely, with a crew member, Del Elsemore, paying tribute to the quick thinking of the paddleboarder: “He was the real lifesaver of the day.” A spokesperson for the rescue charity said: “With the strong tides and offshore breezes of the Bristol Channel, Appledore RNLI urges people never to take an inflatable toy into the sea. There is no way to control these and they get pulled out from shore within seconds.”

The Royal Life Saving Society also warned of the risks of open water, saying there were more drownings during heatwaves than at any other time of year.

In 2022, 46% of 226 accidental drownings took place in June, July and August, according to official figures, including that of seven teenage boys during the July heatwave.

‘He [member of the public] was the real lifesaver of the day’ Del Elsemore

RNLI crew member