Angler calls Coastguard ...to save him from 50 seals
IT was supposed to be a relaxing day spent fishing at a quiet and scenic coastal spot.
But one angler caught more than he bargained for when he had to be rescued from a cliff face – after fleeing from a colony of aggressive seals.
The man was trying to return home after an afternoon fishing trip when he found himself stuck on the beach between the rising tide and a group of around 50 seals and their pups.
When the mammals became agitated and started to charge, he was forced to seek safety by climbing a cliff above the beach at Green Stane, near Eyemouth, Berwickshire.
But he became stuck threequarters of the way up, unable to climb any higher because of an overhang, and called 999 on his mobile phone.
Four Coastguard rescue teams from Dunbar, Berwick, North Berwick and Eyemouth, and the Eyemouth RNLI all-weather lifeboat, were sent to the scene on Friday night, along with Police Scotland officers.
A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: ‘The man called the police first. He only had 16 per cent battery left on his mobile phone, so it was lucky he could get through to us. He said he had finished fishing and the seals were chasing him.’
Andrew Jamieson, the coxswain on the rescue lifeboat, said: ‘Seals can become quite aggressive at this time of year when they are defending their young. Normal advice is to try to keep a safe distance away from them as they are easily spooked.
‘This man was trying to make his way to safety when the seals became very threatening.’
The man, believed to be in his 30s, was well prepared for the weather, wearing waterproofs and a head torch, but was suffering from the cold when he was found. Mr Jamieson said: ‘It was around 8.35pm when we located him and we were able to use loudspeakers to tell him that the Coastguards were coming.’
The Coastguard team used ropes to lower a crew member down the cliff to the trapped man 75ft below. The angler and his rescuer were then lowered down to the beach – but the problems didn’t end there.
Both men had to find a way through the angry seals to the waiting lifeboat. Mr Jamieson said: ‘Luckily the small inflatable that we sent to the beach scared the seals away. ‘The lifeboat crew were also dressed in bright colours and the seals don’t like that. The seals moved into the water and we were able to get the two men on to the lifeboat.’
Seals are not usually a danger to humans but their bite can carry infectious diseases.
There are no recorded incidents of native common and grey seals killing people but they can be large, aggressive predators and can easily hurt a human if they feel threatened.
Two years ago holidaymakers in Cornwall were warned not to play with seals amid fears the wild animals could ‘take your arm off’. Notices warning against feeding or playing with seals were posted at St Ives, where tourists are increasingly swimming with the animals.