It has been a busy summer for the 771 squadron rescue helicopters at RNAS Culdrose with 40 call-outs just in August. In total this year so far the services of the search and rescue crews have been requested 182 times c ompared to 158 last year.

Helicopters from the Culdrose based Search and Rescue Squadron were scrambled to 40 call outs during August and the crews managed to assist 39 lives. Alarmingly, seven of the call outs were to assist divers - this equates to nearly 20% of the total callouts and 25% of persons assisted.

Air crews helped airlift 26 seamen from the ill fated MSC Napoli, took part in a dramatic cave rescue at Mawgan Porth and the rescue of seven sailors from their sinking fishing boat.

The Squadron also took part in their quickest rescue on record. The duty crew were called to a woman who had been washed off the Porthleven Harbour wall by a large wave. The helicopter crew picked up the lady from the water and placed her back on the harbourside, were she received medical attention. From the scramble callout to landing the casualty back on land, it only took 12 minutes.

Lieutenant Commander Chris Godwin, Commanding Officer of 771 Squadron is very proud of his crews and said: "Despite the bad weather this summer, we still had many holiday-makers enjoying the Cornish coast paths, swimming in the sea and taking part in various watersports around the coastline. This resulted in a much busier summer than last year for 771 Squadron and working in partnership with the Coastguard and the RNLI, we responded to a wide variety of rescue call outs. As usual, the Squadron was on 24 hour standby at 15 minutes notice by day and 45 minutes by night. However, we are usually airborne much quicker than that regardless of weather of weather and in some of the most hazardous and hostile conditions imaginable."

Senior Observer of 771 Squadron, Lieutenant Commander Chris Canning added that those enjoying the Cornish Coastline could do several things to increase their safety.

"We hope that residents and visitors enjoy the coast and the water, but we are asking them to be careful. As you can imagine, even though our helicopter crews have high-tech equipment onboard to help us in our searches, it is very difficult to see people from the air, especially at night. People often wear black wetsuits, but they are more likely to be found quickly if they were wearing bright clothing. As a precaution, Divers should use marker buoys to indicate their position under the water and those in watercraft should wear life jackets and use killcords. Individuals can also increase their safety by listening to guidance from the Coastguard and the RNLI, and by taking note of tide times and weather forecasts," he said.