• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Dangerous Tides

Spill the beans then NF.

1) Sea Kayaking got caught by a wave went under, couldn't surface due to a line getting caught under my life jacket couldn't free myself, my knife sheath actually was part of the problem. finally managed to doggy paddle to shore after I surfaced dragging the kayak with me. I'm not a great swimmer and the weight kept dragging me under. I thought "Well it's all over rover no point in panicking just try for the shore" - was lucky.

2) Drunk after a double shift in a kitchen I was working at a nice location, (happy days). Grabbed another bottle of wine, went to the beach sat amongst the warm rock-pools, finished the wine and fell asleep. Next thing I remember I was dragged out by a passerby I was up to my neck in water and I was still asleep. Tide had come in. It was a very isolated spot so I was lucky someone was walking past.

So neither battling the high seas - just stupidity and bad luck - really easy to die in the sea.
 
Last edited:
1) Sea Kayaking got caught by a wave went under, couldn't surface due to a line getting caught under my life jacket couldn't free myself, my knife sheath actually was part of the problem. finally managed to doggy paddle to shore after I surfaced dragging the kayak with me. I'm not a great swimmer and the weight kept dragging me under. I thought "Well it's all over rover no point in panicking just try for the shore" - was lucky.

2) Drunk after a double shift in a kitchen I was working at a nice location, (happy days). Grabbed another bottle of wine, went to the beach sat amongst the warm rock-pools, finished the wine and fell asleep. Next thing I remember I was dragged out by a passerby I was up to my neck in water and I was still asleep. Tide had come in. It was a very isolated spot so I was lucky someone was walking past.

So neither battling the high seas - just stupidity and bad luck - really easy to die in the sea.
2 narrow escapes then NF. If it had been me I think I'd probably never go near water again!
 
Ooh oooh I've been there! Saw the Sneaker Wave warning sign!

Similar happens in Cornwall. There's a video of some pensioners being caught out by one.

It's the Atlantic y'see, it likes to play tricks.
I've probably mentioned it before , but I still remember a day on the beach nearly 60 years ago. Mother had taken me some distance from the promenade, when I looked round and saw the tide rushing in behind us. I was scared and got picked up and remember her having to wade back through the incoming tide with me in her arms. Was told to never mention it to father who would have been less than pleased.
 
I've probably mentioned it before , but I still remember a day on the beach nearly 60 years ago. Mother had taken me some distance from the promenade, when I looked round and saw the tide rushing in behind us. I was scared and got picked up and remember her having to wade back through the incoming tide with me in her arms. Was told to never mention it to father who would have been less than pleased.

Haha, been there! When my kids were small I was at a country park with my kids, chatting to a mate who kids were there too, and saying 'Yeah I'm not going in the water today, got me new skirt on...' and watching Son 1 give Son 2 a piggy back in the ankle-high water.

Suddenly he stepped into the deep bit and they both disappeared. I ran straight in and grabbed them and that's what I got for swanking.
 
I've probably mentioned it before , but I still remember a day on the beach nearly 60 years ago. Mother had taken me some distance from the promenade, when I looked round and saw the tide rushing in behind us. I was scared and got picked up and remember her having to wade back through the incoming tide with me in her arms. Was told to never mention it to father who would have been less than pleased.

Hahahaha, yup, that wasn't Porthmadog was it? Took my kids strolling down that notoriously dangerous beach to the sea as the tide was turning. We didn't realise until it started swirling around us and filling up the dips.

I told the kids to drop the buckets and spades and RUN. Older Son carried Youngest Daughter on his back and I dragged the other two. The water was SO fast!

A couple of weeks later a man drowned there while saving some kids who'd got into difficulties, possibly cut off like we were. Horrific.
 
Theres a promotry south of Ogmore By Sea called Witches point (Dont know it in Welsh)

Popular with fishers.

A big tide rip; if you fell in, couple of minutes you would be 500 yards downstream.

Every year someone dies there.

Another good place to observe the rip is along the coast, the channel between the tidal island of Sully Island and the mainland. Jet skiiers use it to surf the standing waves. (Just dont get caught by the flowing tide.

The Bristol channel is dangerous.
 
Hahahaha, yup, that wasn't Porthmadog was it? Took my kids strolling down that notoriously dangerous beach to the sea as the tide was turning. We didn't realise until it started swirling around us and filling up the dips.

I told the kids to drop the buckets and spades and RUN. Older Son carried Youngest Daughter on his back and I dragged the other two. The water was SO fast!

A couple of weeks later a man drowned there while saving some kids who'd got into difficulties, possibly cut off like we were. Horrific.
No it was Blackpool beach. The ridiculous thing was that having lived there for about 20 years before this incident she should have been well aware of the timing of the tides, but ,bless her, she always was a bit scatter brained.
 
When our children were small my friend and I often used to take them for walks but we decided that it would be nice to just go on our own and what it wrong with going for walks at night? So once a week off we'd go, we'd done most of the footpaths that were street lit when said friend noticed it would be a full moon and if it turned out to be a clear night it would be great to drive out to Borth and walk along the beach up to Ynyslas.

Well what we'd failed to note was the time of the moonrise and it had not put in an appearance ... duh. Anyway there was enough light from the street lights to make it all the way there but on the return the tide started coming in and was almost to the ends of the groyns we'd have to be quick to dodge round as it edged nearer. (On the outward journey we'd climbed them but the strutts were on the other side.) I, who have a big fear of getting caught out by tides and who'd had several anxiety dreams about having been so, agitated to walk back up the beach to the road. She was having none of it and said I had to conquer my fears (she was bossy like that !!)

First few negotiated easily enough but we were beggining to get our feet wet, when we came to a more problematic one as the tide had already reached it. 'Let's go back to the road NOW!' 'Don't be silly it would take too long, if we're quick when it sushes out we can nip round the end'!

Duly carried out said plan and madly dashed onto what we'd seen as a flat bit of sand ... to discover it was actually a pool and we were up to our waists in freezing cold water with a wave bearing down on us. Mad scramble and flounder and made it to the other side but it could have been so much worse! Thank goodness we didn't have the children with us!!! Feckin eejits!! Well more her than me, twas her fault!

So I faced my fears and they just got worse ... hmmm there's a lesson in there somewhere. Mind you I haven't had any 'tide' dreams since :D


Sollywos x
 
We occasionally visit the small coastal spot of Arnside in the North West of the UK. The village is on an estuary which becomes the river Kent, the estuary narrowing to about a mile wide at this location. The tide flies past Arnside at a spectacular rate, far far quicker than you could run. An air raid type siren goes off prior to the tide coming in, but you still see idiots floundering on the sand, only narrowly escaping.
 
When our children were small my friend and I often used to take them for walks but we decided that it would be nice to just go on our own and what it wrong with going for walks at night? So once a week off we'd go, we'd done most of the footpaths that were street lit when said friend noticed it would be a full moon and if it turned out to be a clear night it would be great to drive out to Borth and walk along the beach up to Ynyslas.

Well what we'd failed to note was the time of the moonrise and it had not put in an appearance ... duh. Anyway there was enough light from the street lights to make it all the way there but on the return the tide started coming in and was almost to the ends of the groyns we'd have to be quick to dodge round as it edged nearer. (On the outward journey we'd climbed them but the strutts were on the other side.) I, who have a big fear of getting caught out by tides and who'd had several anxiety dreams about having been so, agitated to walk back up the beach to the road. She was having none of it and said I had to conquer my fears (she was bossy like that !!)

First few negotiated easily enough but we were beggining to get our feet wet, when we came to a more problematic one as the tide had already reached it. 'Let's go back to the road NOW!' 'Don't be silly it would take too long, if we're quick when it sushes out we can nip round the end'!

Duly carried out said plan and madly dashed onto what we'd seen as a flat bit of sand ... to discover it was actually a pool and we were up to our waists in freezing cold water with a wave bearing down on us. Mad scramble and flounder and made it to the other side but it could have been so much worse! Thank goodness we didn't have the children with us!!! Feckin eejits!! Well more her than me, twas her fault!

So I faced my fears and they just got worse ... hmmm there's a lesson in there somewhere. Mind you I haven't had any 'tide' dreams since :D


Sollywos x
The beach up at Ynyslas has deep pools too, which is just as well because I would never let any of the family go into the sea there especially towards the Dyfi estuary. Beautiful place though, it's where the BBC filmed the kites and dunes for their links between programmes.
 
Well that went wrong start again got caught at grange over sands years ago with the kids.
Vowed never again?? . Years later got caught again at filey brig everyone thought it was funny apart from me.
Bloody scary :nails::nails:
 
The beach up at Ynyslas has deep pools too, which is just as well because I would never let any of the family go into the sea there especially towards the Dyfi estuary. Beautiful place though, it's where the BBC filmed the kites and dunes for their links between programmes.

We'd only gone as far as the last groyn from Borth where the dunes began, obscurring even the little light from the houses. So not too near the estuary but even so as locals we should have known better!

I loved that BBC clip a reminder of what I'd left behind when I moved back to my roots!

Sollywos x
 
Morecambe Bay has a high tide range sometimes over 33 ft and vast expanses of flat sand,
once the tide gets to a certain height it floods in very fast faster than a man can run, add
quick sands and it can and is a very dangerous place for the unwary.
Arnside as a bore that runs up the river eatery about 1 and a half hours before high tide,
it goes from low water to high in minutes, the chippy have thoughtfully provided a wen cam.

http://www.camsecure.co.uk/arnside pier webcam.html
 
Last edited:
Chesil beach (the whole range from Portland to West Bay) - don't turn your back on it is something I was told many years ago. Once you get to West Bay it's *maybe* OK to paddle on a calm day but otherwise don't go in it. Look at it, fish in it but don't try to swim in it :)

 
at 2:15 is that a monument? sculpture? towards the bottom left corner.

Very nice vid @AnonyJoolz :)
 
at 2:15 is that a monument? sculpture? towards the bottom left corner.

Very nice vid @AnonyJoolz :)

I've just been online to find out! Wikipedia tells me:

"The Trinity House Obelisk, also known as the Trinity House Landmark, is a 19th-century obelisk located at Portland Bill, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. Built as a daymark, it has been Grade II Listed since 1978. The obelisk was built in 1844 to warn ships off the coast of Portland Bill. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_House_Obelisk

Trinity House is apparently the official authority for lighthouses in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar and its 'official' moniker is The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond founded in 1514 :D
 
Morecambe Bay has a high tide range sometimes over 33 ft and vast expanses of flat sand,
once the tide gets to a certain height it floods in very fast faster than a man can run, add
quick sands and it can and is a very dangerous place for the unwary.
Arnside as a bore that runs up the river eatery about 1 and a half hours before high tide,
it goes from low water to high in minutes, the chippy have thoughtfully provided a wen cam.

http://www.camsecure.co.uk/arnside pier webcam.html


Another Arnside Bore Video
 
Back
Top