Salcombe All Weather Lifeboat (ALB) launched on Saturday at around noon, along with Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 924 and an Ambulance, to respond to reports of a diver experiencing difficulties after a rapid ascent from a wreck approximately three nautical miles south of Salcombe.

Upon arrival, two crew members from the lifeboat transferred to the dive boat for an initial assessment of the casualty, before transferring all three back to the ALB.

Once onboard, the Medic/Winchman from Rescue 924 assessed the casualty further and determined that the casualty should be airlifted for transportation to Derriford Hospital.

With the casualty safely aboard the helicopter, the Coastguard stood down both the Ambulance and Lifeboat, which returned to their respective stations.

Hope Cove Lifeboat had our first shout of 2025 on Friday afternoon.

They were called to two wing surfers who had been spotted from Burgh Island.

They had launched from Bigbury but a walker spotted them struggling in the conditions and decided the best thing to do was to call for help.

They picked them both up and returned them to shore where Kingsbridge Coast Guard made sure they were alright.

The crew had been training all through the winter so were ready for action when the pagers sounded.

An hour or so later they were back on station, the boat washed down and ready to go again.

Hope Cove Life Boat was formed in 2011 to save lives in Bigbury Bay. Operating from Hope Cove, the “patch” stretches from Prawle Point across to Stoke Point, near the mouth of the River Erme.

They are a completely independent lifeboat, not part of a larger organisation, but work alongside teams from the RNLI, HM Coastguard, Devon Air Ambulance and other agencies.

Each year the Hope Cove Life Boat is called to around 30 “shouts.” Since 2011 they’ve saved hundreds of lives.