RNLI crew saves man and his best friend

A dog owner has thanked Cromer RNLI for saving him and his pet after he went into rough waves to help it out of the sea.

Curtis Johnson, 33, raised the alarm after Rex jumped off the sea wall along Cromer promenade at around 7am on a Saturday morning. But he then jumped in to attempt the rescue himself.

Curtis was walking Rex during a visit to town and had let him off the lead. Rex then jumped over the wall and went straight into the water.

Curtis said: “I wasn’t familiar with the area and while Rex has excellent recall he ran off and jumped so quickly. It was such a shock.

“I can only think he thought it was like one of our local beach walking spots where the sea wall and the sea are the same height.

“I was really panicked and it was a passer-by
who told me to call 999 and ask for the coastguard and not just jump straight in. I entered the water as safely as I could and got to Rex.

“However, it was clear it wasn’t going to be easy to get out.”

And with strong and powerful waves cutting Curtis off from the promenade steps, he and Rex were being thrown around in the sea close to the wall.

The emergency was filmed by local angler Andy Siddall, who had also called the coastguard.

Reflecting on his ordeal, Curtis said: “I want to say a huge thank you to the volunteer lifeboat crew from Cromer RNLI – it was a super-fast response. Members of the public also helped, along with the coastguards, and I am so grateful to everyone.”

Following the drama, he added: “Rex and I are OK but very shaken by our experience. I want my story to help others to make the right choices and stay safe at the coast.”

Paul Watling, Cromer RNLI coxswain/mechanic, one of the first on the scene, said: “This was a challenging rescue due to the location of the casualty and the dog. Both the casualty and his dog were rescued, but this could easily have ended differently.

“We strongly urge people not to enter the water to attempt a rescue when a dog enters the sea. The animal will usually return safely on its own. On these occasions the best advice is to dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.

“The casualty and his dog were cold and tired and being pushed against the sea wall. Despite the conditions, and the casualty’s location, we were able to manoeuvre the D-class inshore lifeboat into position and get him and his dog onto the lifeboat and then back to the station.”