Jump to content

Safety on the beach


Guest John S

Recommended Posts

I saw a news report on the BBC earlier today regarding a skeleton discovered on mudflats somewhere on the east coast (?). Apparently the body has lain buried in the mud for seven years or more, and is believed to be an angler who got cut off by the rising tide. I've tried to find a link to this story but couldn't.

 

Being a part-time beach angler, I know how quickly the tide can come in behind you, it just takes a few minutes lack of concentration to be cut off by the tide. So to any novice beach anglers reading this, keep looking behind you.

 

------------------

John S

 

john@go-fishing.co.uk

ANMC Wossname - Get the best out of fishing, join today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest peter mccue

Novice beach anglers, listen to John he speaketh the truth!

 

I was digging with a friend for Ragworm on a spring tide at a local beach. This particular tide was uncovering area's very rarely dug.

 

Trouble was, it was 1.30am when it was at its best & believe me when your're on a fruitful dig you can become as absorbed with what you are doing as much as if you were fishing!

 

Needless to say, the tide caught us out & we had to wade back to the beach following a set path on rocky ground. With water lapping the wader tops & only torches to light the way, there was a none too brief moment when the tide seemed to be making better progress than we were & I suddenly learned the real meaning of the word fear.

 

Treat the sea lightly & it might cost you dear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Cranfield

We were discussing this exact point last night, Leon recounted a lugworm digging trip off the Kent coast, when the fog rolled in,blocking out the beach.

The difficulty they had finding their way ashore,trying to work out which way the water flow was going etc, made your skin creep.

He always takes a compass with him nowadays and it also pays to keep your eyes open.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest wirral sea fishing

Saftey while angling is paramount as well as when collecting bait, the RNLI have discussion on it at www.rnli.org.uk and then go to the Waves section, We have breakwaters that are out to sea so to speak and you see the odd nutter at the end of them fishing away, they are totaly cut off from the shore and on hight tides they get covered completley is a fish REALLY worth your life !!!

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At risk of sounding like a nanny, going out on the mudflats is as dangerous as going out in a dinghy. Nobody but an idiot would go out without a handheld radio or at least a mobile phone, flares, compass and a torch. A couple of small dinghy flares, a decent torch if at night and mobile phone might be a pain to carry but worth it. The compass can be a clip-on sort from a camping shop. If in the daytme, use orange smoke signals (flares and smoke signals are not cheap items but they are life savers - readily available from yacht chandlers).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Leon Roskilly

Fishing from Motney Point, Rainham (Kent), I became increasingly worried as the tide came in and started to cover the marshes.

 

Two anglers, who had been cut off for a while looked increasingly likely to get wet, and they did!

 

Knowing the time of the high tide, I could see that they were going to make it.

 

But the poor sods sitting on the island of mud and sea-grass, watching the waves coming up their boots and floating their gear about, didn't know the time of the tide, or how high it would get (just imagine being them for a moment!).

 

They later explained that they had seen a couple of blokes fishing from the same spot a couple of weeks earlier (when the tides were lower, but they didn't know that!) and the guys had made a decent catch, so they decided to give it a go themselves.

 

Once they had made it back to dry land, I gave them some friendly advice about neaps and springs, and knowing when high water was forecast for, and allowing for the weather.

 

They seemed eager to learn! Posted Image

 

A similar experience, that used to happen quite frequently, sometimes occured at the dinghy launching area at West Mersea island.

 

Dinghy owners would drive down the 'hard', unhook the trailer, and park in a line on the hard standing, whilst they launched/recovered their dinghies.

 

Parking spaces at the beach, just a short distance away, were at a premium, to say the least, so families coming to the beach, having driven round and round, would see the line of neatly parked cars and squeeze in.

 

Well, as the tide came up, the cars of the dinghy owners would drive back above the tideline.

 

Meanwhile, the family(s) would be enjoying the beach, perhaps moving their deck chairs etc up the beach as the tide came in and thankful that they had found somewhere to park (I wonder if the thought ever occurred to them!).

 

When I used to see the odd one or two car roofs, sticking out of the water at the launch point at high tide, I'd often wonder if they realised why their car was full of water when they came to collect it for the drive home!!

 

Tight Lines - leon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Leon Roskilly

Originally posted by Cranfield:

He always takes a compass with him nowadays and it also pays to keep your eyes open.

It's one of those small compasses that attach to your watch strap. £2.50 at the Seargeant's Mess (or any outdoor centre!)

 

Wearing it all the time, means it will never get left in the tackle bag or car, and not be around when I really need it.

 

Tight Lines - leon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I`m sure we`ve all read about the angler that was swept to his death from a NE sea wall recently. He, like countless hundred others before him had ignored the locked gate and warning notice. These gates and notices are erected for the benefit of us anglers and members of the public. To make us aware of the very real dangers that heavy seas can provide all too easily.

I`m not so sure that you know of an `incident` that happened during the Alderney Beach Fishing Festival this October?

A young man from the Bristol area was fishing from the top deck of the harbour wall, when a huge surge carried him clean over the inner deck straight into the harbour!! He was battered and bruised but managed a crooked smile in the bar next day?

He said he thought he was dreaming? One moment watching his rod tip, the next`swimming upside down on top of the wave`!! This surge encompassed the whole of Alderney!! All day long I listened to reports of rock fishermen losing all their tackle!!

There are of course warning signs at the harbour end of the sea wall, life bouys stationed all along the sea wall. But this individual chanced his luck because there was the chance of a better fish from the top deck???

Call me a whimp if you like. But I`ve been sea angling for 40yrs. During that time I`ve lost 3 mates to the sea.

Protective equipment plus taking notice of danger signs might not be `macho`? But at least I`m here to write this?

Paul Compton.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest chesters1

when we sold our boat we realised we still had the flares left so we tried them out,they were still double sealed and in date, out of the four (2 smoke and 2 parachute flares )

only 1 of each worked, so even with the best intentions how safe is safe?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the lleyn peninsular...balcary flat rocks ....blackpools rossall beach....the menia straights...the cliffs of dundee....all places where fishermen have died, the sea has no feelings. its mercy is never known, but to those that feel inclined to find out, she will always be willing to show how powerfull her beauty realy is ...i have been there and i am a lucky man...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.