Saving Lives at Sea

Although each and every call to the RNLI brings its own unique challenges, every single one is a race against time. In Newhaven, two paragliders face a nightmare on Christmas Eve when they land on an isolated stretch of beach with the tide rising rapidly. At Port St Mary, on the Isle of Man, the crew race to the rescue of a stranded yacht in danger of breaking up on rocks with a crew of three still aboard. Across the Irish Sea, in Barry Dock, a teenage girl is caught in a rip current, leaving her unconscious on the beach. And in Great Yarmouth, an inquisitive cat sparks a media frenzy - and a mad dash for the crew - when it falls into the River Yare.

In total, the RNLI is made up of over 35,000 individual volunteers, all working together on land and sea to save lives. In Swanage, the lifeboat crew work hand in hand with the specialist coastguard rope team to help an injured climber. In Rhyl, north Wales, a retired crew member comes to the aid of a person in the water when mechanical problems throw a spanner in the works of the lifeboat. On Douglas, in the Isle of Man, a fire on a fishing boat puts the crew on red alert. And in Gravesend, a routine training exercise is diverted by an unusual casualty: a poorly swan.

In Lyme Regis, on Dorset's Jurassic coast, the crew face a frantic search for three fishermen whose boat has capsized in the River Axe. On the north Cornish coast, the lifeguards at Harlyn race to the rescue of a teenager caught out by a notorious rip current.

On the west coast of Scotland, the Oban crew dash across the water to the remote island of Kerrera to help an injured walker, and across the Irish Sea, the Kinsale crew have to act quickly to help a skipper who, while trying to single-handedly sail his yacht across the Atlantic, is drifting without power towards rocks.

On Ireland's north west coast, the crew at Bundoran race to the rescue of a teenage girl who has been swept out to sea by a rip current. In Portishead, north Somerset, a man has suffered serious chest injuries after falling 30 feet from a cliff and needs to be rushed to hospital. Across the Bristol Channel in Porthcawl, a missing dog sends the crew on a wild goose chase. And in the fishing town of Fraserburgh, on the north east coast of Scotland, the crew search for a local fisherman who's failed to return to harbour.

The vast majority of the RNLI's volunteer crew members don't come from a professional maritime background - so every day is a school day.

In Eastbourne, new recruit Chris is put through his paces when two casualties are cut off by the tide near Beachy Head. On the coast of south Wales, Penarth crew member Tom is called up for his first ever shout when a female paddleboarder is caught out by the tide.

In Fistral, north Cornwall, 22-year-old lifeguard Kai races to the rescue of a young surfer who's in danger of being smashed on the rocks. And in Arbroath, on Scotland's east coast, crew member Stuart is called out to his first ever dog rescue.

In Eastbourne, a routine day at the station changes in an instant when a boat catches fire just outside the harbour. In Trevone, north Cornwall, 18-year-old lifeguard Alfie races to the rescue of a surfer caught in a notorious rip current. On the Northumberland coast, the Blyth crew face a frantic search for a dog that's been swept out by the tide. And in Burnham-in-Sea, in Somerset, reports of the crash landing of a hot air balloon lead the crew to launch on red alert.

In Swanage, Dorset, the crew race to the rescue of a diver whose life hangs in the balance. In Kinghorn, on the east coast of Scotland, a swimmer is swept out to sea and is at severe risk of hypothermia.

On Holywell beach in Newquay, a multi-agency operation kicks into gear when a walker suffers a serious injury, and in Dun Laoghaire, just south of Dublin, a fun day out goes badly wrong when the bride-to-be needs rescuing from her own hen party.

In Thurso, Scotland's most northerly mainland station, the crew race to the rescue of an ocean-going rower who's run into trouble 40 miles out to sea. In Dungeness, on the Kent coast, there are two very different shouts for the crew to deal with: an 11-year-old boy who has drifted out to sea on an inflatable dinghy and three people who are attempting to cross the English Channel at night. And in Newhaven, Sussex, a dog has fallen over 100 feet from the cliffs at Seaford.

In St Davids, on the south west coast of Wales, the crew have to deal with one of their biggest ever summer shouts: a group of 16 paddleboarders and kayakers who are blissfully unaware that they are in grave danger. In Appledore, Somerset, one of the shore crew - a keen amateur drone cameraman - captures all the drama from the sky as the lifeboat crew race to the rescue of an exhausted swimmer who's been swept out to sea.

In Margate, a visiting Dutch crew need emergency help after their yacht gets stuck on a notorious sandbank. Just south of Dublin, the Dun Laoghaire crew face an unusual challenge when they are called out to a hen party whose boat is caught in a lobster pot. And in Kinghorn, on Scotland's east coast, a simple call out to a paddleboarder isn't all that it seems.

In Baltimore, south west Ireland, the crew are called out to reports of an upturned catamaran over 70 miles out to sea. In Newhaven, on the Sussex coast, a grounded yacht in rolling seas presents a serious challenge. On the island of Anglesey, off north Wales, the crew at Moelfre respond to a 999 call about an injured fisherman. And on the west coast of Scotland, the Helensburgh crew race to the rescue of a capsized kayaker.