An innocent game of rock climbing during the school holidays turned into a frightening experience for two young girls when they found themselves stranded off Dysart Harbour.
The coastguard spotted the children, aged eight and 13, clinging to a large rock near the Pan Ha’ area at 2.40pm on Thursday and immediately contacted Kinghorn RNLI.
A four-strong lifeboat crew set out to rescue the girls who were, by this point, surrounded by the incoming tide.
Coastguard Stephen Foley said, “They were only about 10 feet from the shore but the tide was coming in fast and it was clear they were too scared to move off the rock.
“The lifeboat crew managed to pick them up without any difficulty and they were received in the harbour by the coastguard team at around 4pm.
“Fife police and the ambulance service were also notified and attended the scene, whereafter their guardians were called.
“It was a straightforward rescue and the children did not sustain any injuries they were just shocked and shaking after their ordeal.
“We would urge other children and individuals to learn from this incident and stay away from playing on rocks and going near the sea during high tide.”
Inspector David Dryburgh said, “The lifeguards and coastguard had the matter in hand when we arrived at the scene. All we did was notify the girls’ parents and I’m pleased to say they were both OK.”UnawareEyewitness Linda Mellor who also took the main photograph above said, “I saw the girls playing on the rocks, unaware of the high tide. By the time they realised, it had risen really high and they were stuck, with the water around them very choppy by this time.
“The RNLI arrived very quickly on the scene but it took them a couple of attempts to rescue the girls. One of them eventually jumped on to the rock so as to steady the girls and carry them on to the lifeboat and they were safely taken back to shore.”
Local man Glyn Ednie told The Courier how he tried to comfort the girls while they waited for the lifeboat to arrive.
“The girls had got themselves trapped on Partan Craig rocks at Dysart, with the waves threatening to swamp them,” he said. “My wife phoned 999 whilst I kept them calm. Police and ambulance were here in less than five minutes and the fast boat got them to safety in less than half an hour from the call. The RNLI guys really are local heroes.
“The waves surge through the gap between the rocks and the beach. It really was slippery underfoot under those waves, which meant the rescue was best left to the specialists. The green seaweed at the top of the rocks illustrates the fact that they are completely covered at high tide and in blustery conditions.
“In these days when the police get criticised for not responding quickly enough to emergency calls I was impressed by the speed of arrival of them and the ambulance.
“As for the lifeboatmen I just can’t say enough for the volunteer work that these brave men do.”
Photos courtesy of Linda Mellor Photography and Glyn Ednie.