Nina, Judith, Siobhan, Julie, and Barbara had been enjoying an afternoon dip an hour before high tide at Leasowe Bay when disaster struck on Thursday 27 November 2025.
The five had met through a local sea-swimming group and were celebrating Julie's 50th dip when they entered the water.
When conditions change
Although conditions had appeared safe, within minutes the group had drifted beyond their usual swimming area.
Then Siobhan started to struggle. The group shouted at her to swim back but quickly realised she was unable to. “I had the feeling that I was being swept away,” says Siobhan. “I tried to swim against the current, but I was getting nowhere. I could hear the girls shouting but the current was too strong.”
Nina realised something was wrong. “Siobhan wasn’t waving or splashing,” recalls Nina, whose instinct was to swim after her. “I knew I could swim to her, but I wasn’t sure I could swim us both back to safety.”
Nina made the difficult decision to leave her friend and urgently call for help. Along with Barbara, she managed to escape the current and left the water: “I still feel guilty about it. It was like I’d just abandoned Siobhan."
As Nina turned to get help, she realised how far they’d drifted: there was no time to reach her phone.
Fortunately, a passer-by was walking close to the shore. He hadn't seen what was happening and couldn't even tell anyone was in danger. “I frantically alerted him and asked him to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard,” says Nina.
That call was made just six minutes after the group entered the water.
Reaching the rocks
Judith and fellow dipper Julie had realised that Siobhan was in trouble. Both used their swim floats to head towards her. Siobhan was overwhelmed by the waves and was taking on water.
Using her swim float for support, Judith managed to reach Siobhan and get her to cling on. She’d hoped the pair could make it safely back to the beach, but the currents proved too strong. Instead, they made for the rocks while Julie managed to reach a rescuer.
With Siobhan fading in and out of consciousness, it was the only option.
It wasn’t the safest place, but it gave them something to cling to until help arrived. Both were tossed about violently, with Judith seriously injuring her shoulder in the crashing waves.
The rescue
Within minutes, Coastguard Rescue Officers from Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team arrived, and it wasn’t a moment too soon. Siobhan’s condition worsened. She’d been using Judith’s float to keep her head above the waves, but she’d taken on seawater and was losing consciousness:
“I was fading in and out. I remember Judith hurting her shoulder on the rocks as we were battered by the waves. If Judith hadn’t been there, I would have gone under.”
Help arrives
“Within minutes, our team were in the water”, says Paul Ambrose, Officer in Charge. “The girls were on the rocks, and we could hear Judith’s screams. One of our officers went into the water on a line to retrieve the first casualty.”
Siobhan recalls: “I saw the Coastguards in the water, they were calling my name. I remember one officer saying, “We’re going to have to go for it now!”, and that was it.”
An RNLI crew member jumped onto the rocks and, alongside a Coastguard Rescue Officer, shielded Siobhan and Judith from the waves until the Coastguard helicopter arrived.
The Coastguard helicopter paramedic winched the pair from the rocks to safety on the beach where they were transferred to ambulances and taken to hospital.
The aftermath
Speaking about the 999 call, Wirral Deputy Station Officer Paul says that Nina’s guilt over leaving her friends is understandable, but her actions saved her friends’ lives.
He says: “It feels like you’re abandoning a friend, someone who’s in distress in the water, and that feels wrong, doesn’t it? It’s natural to want to help. But if that 999 call hadn’t been made, it would’ve been a very different outcome.”
Judith, who dislocated her shoulder during the ordeal, says: “The swift response was crucial. Coastguards and the RNLI arrived so quickly and the coordination and cooperation between them was perfect.”
She also emphasises the importance of her float. “It’s a lifesaver! It kept us afloat and the bright colour made us easily visible. It’s taken three months for me to return to the water, but I have a completely different perspective,” she says.
"Incredibly fortunate to be alive..."
Siobhan adds: “I’m incredibly fortunate to be alive. I’d gone for a regular afternoon dip that day and hadn’t taken my float. I just didn’t anticipate this could happen in such familiar waters.
“We thought our floats were for rougher seas, but now I would never swim without one. I hope we can return to the joy of our dips in the summer, but it will take some time.”
“Although swim floats are invaluable as a visible marker whilst out at sea, they are also a lifesaving buoyancy aid,” says Judith. “Without my float and the urgent call to the Coastguard, the outcome would have been so different.”
“Coastguards tell us they only received a single 999 call for help that day,” says Nina. “Never assume someone else will make that call! “I now understand that without that one 999 call, there could have been fatalities.”
Never swim alone or unprepared. If you’re in trouble, raise the alarm and call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
