NORTHUMBERLAND lifeboat crews are seeing fewer shouts this year, suggesting safety messages are hitting home.
The RNLI (The Royal National Lifeboat Institution) is a charity that rescues people in difficulty at sea. Powered primarily by donations, the service has been saving lives for more than 200 years.
39-year-old Ollie Whelan, one of the crew members at RNLI Seahouses Lifeboat Station, has volunteered with the essential service for three-and-a-half years.
He said he's attended approximately 10 callouts this year, compared with more than 20 in previous seasons, as publicity around tide times, the Holy Island causeway and campaigns like Float to Live appears to be changing behaviour on the water.
The Holy Island Causeway is a three-mile tidal road connecting the Northumberland mainland to Lindisfarne, and is submerged twice daily by the North Sea. Travellers must check tide times on Northumberland County Council's website to plan their journey safely.
Warnings were issued in 2025 after rising tides trapped multiple drivers, prompting rescue efforts from the RNLI and the Coastguard.
Ollie decided to start volunteering after relocating from the South of England to Northumberland.
"I've always done charity work, and I've always wanted to go out on the lifeboats but never lived near enough to a station. When we moved up here, it gave me the perfect opportunity to join the crew."
Ollie said volunteering with the RNLI gives a 'great sense of community and family', but also provides 'a lot of fun going out on the boats, training and getting to see some incredible sunsets'.
There are many different volunteer roles available, from fundraising roles to water safety officers and shore crew, and some have no minimum time commitment.
It's recommended for operational crew members to live within 15 minutes of the Seahouses station to respond to incidents, although volunteers in other roles can live further afield.
Ollie said he has participated in more than 20 callouts on the station's two boats; however, this year, there has been a reduction in the number of callouts he has attended.
"This year, I've only been on about 10, but that's just me personally - the boats have been out about 16 or 17 times this year. We've seen a reduction in callouts this year, and I think that's due to the water safety messages we're putting out.
"We used to get a lot of shouts for the causeway; that was one of our most regular callouts, but there's been an awful lot of publicity in the press and media to do with that. There's an app available now to check the tide times, so it's slightly quieter than last year."
The Seahouses RNLI crew attended just under 40 callouts last year, Ollie said, and he estimated they will attend between 30-35 incidents by the end of this year.
Key advice for people going out on the water is to know where you're going and check tide times.
"If you're going out paddleboarding, check the wind directions and know your area. Equipment is one of the biggest things we encourage people to use," he said. Anyone using paddleboards, jet skis, boats or kayaks must have a life jacket or a personal flotation device.
If you're planning to travel further than the shoreline, it's recommended to carry a VHF radio and a means of communication, such as a mobile phone in a waterproof case.
You should also tell someone where you're going and when you should be back.
"The sooner we get notified if something's gone wrong, the better the outcome normally is," Ollie said.
"We would much rather be called out to an incident or a suspected incident than people worry about calling the coastguard. We would always encourage people to make the phone call - if it turns out to be nothing, that's brilliant.
"If someone's in the water and in a bit of difficulty, we champion the Float to Live campaign. This summer, our water safety teams are doing several pop-ups outside the station to teach people the key elements of Float to Live."
This involves several steps, starting with tilting your head back; relaxing and controlling your breathing; moving your hands and legs to help you stay afloat; and practising floating in a safe location.
Further information on the Float to Live campaign is available on the RNLI website and social media pages.
"From a volunteering perspective, it's incredibly rewarding," Ollie said. "We get incredible training, we get to qualify in and do things a lot of other people don't get to do.
"There is a role for everybody; you don't have to be out on the boat saving lives. You can work in the shop or the museum; up here we're really spoiled with what we've got, and it's pretty flexible. There are roles for every walk of life."
Volunteer roles are advertised on the RNLI Facebook page and on its website. People can also visit the station or email volunteering@rnli.org.uk for general volunteer queries or role information.
If you or someone else is in difficulty in the water, call 999 and ask for the coastguard, who will coordinate what assets need to be launched.
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