SOS: Extreme Rescues

Cameras capture an inside look at the lifesaving work of teams across Eryri, Wales.

The hit BBC programme SOS: Extreme Rescues returned to our screens for a brand new series on BBC Two and on BBC One in Wales.

Follow the work of HM Coastguard along with the other emergency services and rescue organisations as they come to people’s aid across stunning coastlines and epic mountain ranges of Eryri, also known as Snowdonia.

Working together in one of the UK’s most challenging but beautiful landscapes

Spanning over 800 square miles, Eryri is Wales’ largest National Park. It’s home to 26,000 people and welcomes over 4 million visitors every year.

For fourteen months, cameras followed the work of HM Coastguard, North Wales Police, Welsh Ambulance Service, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and members of North Wales Mountain Rescue Association.

From injured beach goers to missing adventurers on its peaks, the teams use their skill, dedication and teamwork to save lives against the dramatic landscape.

A group of individuals from various emergency services stand in front of a dramatic background. Text reads 'SOS Extreme Rescues'

HM Coastguard search and rescue officers stand in front of a coastguard rescue vehicle on a beach promenade. They are looking out to sea where there are grey clouds and a moody sky

All terrains and weather, from blizzards to sunny summer days

Eryri may be most famous for its mountains but in the summer, people flood to the coast.

Viewers watch on as parents fear the worst after a young child, goes missing on Abermaw/Barmouth beach.

Barmouth Coastguard Rescue Team search the water and head into the crowds of hundreds of people in search for her, hoping the worst hasn’t happened.

HM Coastguard's top tips for staying safe at the beach

Busy beaches can be disorientating, especially to children.

Reduce the risk:

• Agree a meeting point – in case you get separated.
• Take a photo of your child on the day – clearly show what they look like and what they are wearing
• Stay close and alert – children are safest when supervised
• Use a wristband scheme – write your number on your child’s wristband so you can be called if you get separated.

A child wearing a bright yellow paper wristband with contact information written on it

Watch now

Hear from the coastguards involved

Coastguard Rescue Officers Nicola from Tywyn, and Alun from Bangor, spent over a year being filmed with their teams for the series.

Speaking of their experience working with the production, Alun says "Working with the production was fantastic and we really relished the opportunity. The camera operators worked really well with the team."

Any opportunity like this to increase the awareness of what coastguard teams do is great. It was an exciting opportunity to shine a light on what our coastguard volunteers do.

Two coastguard rescue officers on a promenade in Wales look out across the bay

Nicola agrees, "I’m not sure even my husband really has a comprehension of what we go and deal with when my pager goes off and I disappear! I think most people wouldn’t necessarily realise the range of things or the conditions we deal with.

"During one of the taskings in this series, it was wet and cold; it was inaccessible to some of the other emergency services and rescuers. We dealt with the risk of the casualty developing hypothermia and her being in extreme pain, and the tide was coming in - it had everything we’re trained for."

Nicola and Alun, both Station Officers, agree that they’re proud of their teams and that what they do is being displayed through the series. Nicola adds, "Who knows, there might be someone watching at home who hadn't known they could volunteer to do this, or had always wanted to and this might be the encouragement they need to apply. That can only be a positive thing."

If you're interested in becoming a coastguard rescue officer, find out more about volunteering with HM Coastguard below.

Volunteer as a coastguard

Where to watch

Episodes can be streamed on BBC iPlayer, along with all the action from the past series.

SOS: Extreme Rescues

SOS: Extreme Rescues

Cameras capture an inside look at the lifesaving work of teams across Eryri, Wales.

Working together in one of the UK’s most challenging but beautiful landscapes

All terrains and weather, from blizzards to sunny summer days

HM Coastguard's top tips for staying safe at the beach

Hear from the coastguards involved

Where to watch

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