Adrift sea divers towed to safety

Picture courtesy of the Seahouses RNLI

This is the moment an Oldham dive boat was towed back to shore after six divers needed rescuing by lifeboatmen.

The divers from Oldham Sub Aqua Club called out the RNLI when the engine on their rigid inflatable boat (RIB) seized.

They were near the Farne Islands off the North-East coast near Seahouses, on Sunday.

Humber Coastguard alerted the Seahouses Lifeboat, as the seas were choppy and rough in the tidal flow areas around the islands.

The divers were on a regular monthly trip to the area, and two of them were suffering from seasickness. Both Seahouses lifeboats, the all-weather boat Grace Darling and the inshore Peter Downes, were launched at around 12.30 pm, for the 50 minute operation.

Five of the divers were taken on the Grace Darling and the other towed their RIB back to Seahouses. A club spokesman said: “We were a couple of miles out but in no danger.”