PENARTH lifeboat crew mobilised on May 3, following numerous 999' calls that had been received by the Coastguard reporting shouts for help from a person apparently in the water off St Mary's Well Bay.
Upon arrival at the lifeboat station, the crew was informed that the person had been in the water for some time and it had been reported that they could be up to half a mile offshore.
RAF Rescue helicopter 169' was in the process of being tasked, together with Barry Dock lifeboat and Penarth Coastguard.
Penarth Lifeboat launched and helmed by Andy Vye Parminter and crewed by Jim and Sarah Meyer, made its way towards Lavernock point at best speed, and the crew decided upon their search area.
As the lifeboat was repositioned to commence the first leg of the search, crewman Jim Mayer spotted an object in the water - it appeared low in the water and was only visible part of the time due to the wave height.
The object turned out to be a semi-submerged jet ski with only the front section and top half above the water line. Holding onto the submerged back end of the jet ski was one person with only their head above water.
The crew pulled the casualty aboard the lifeboat and crew members Sarah and Jim Mayer assessed his condition. He had been in the water for sometime and , although still conscious, his condition was deteriorating.
Jim and Sarah kept him warm and the crew requested an ambulance to meet the lifeboat at Penarth slipway. The lifeboat then returned to Penarth, leaving the jet ski for retrieval later. When the lifeboat returned to the Station, the shore crew tended to him, whilst awaiting the ambulance.
Once the casualty was safely in the care of paramedics, Penarth lifeboat re-launched to search for and recover the jet-ski, and tow it back to Penarth slipway.
