VIDEO: Newhaven lifeboat crew members save paraglider from drowning

Dermot Ryan was moments away from dying, after the tide had cut him off whilst he was paragliding on December 24, 2021.

Dermot said: "If the lifeboat crew hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here today. That’s the simple truth. They are absolute heroes.

"I remember looking up at the blue sky the following day – Christmas morning – and a wave of euphoria washing over me. I still feel emotional thinking about it. It is so good to be alive.”

Stranded of a small beach, at the foot of some cliffs, he found himself under water and losing consciousness as washes crashed over him.

Dermot’s boy temperature was plummeting fast, but his life was saved when crew members from Newhaven RNLI who plucked Dermot from the water when he was minutes away from drowning.

Lewis Arnold, Coxswain at Newhaven RNLI, said: "When we first arrived on the scene, I thought Dermot had drowned. I get a shiver down my spine every time I think about it, even now.

“There’s no feeling quite like bringing someone home safe to their families – especially at Christmas. As lifeboat crew we couldn’t have saved Dermot’s life that day without kind donations from the public which fund the kit, training and equipment we need to save others and get home safely to our families.”

Dermot was able to use his phone to call for help but was soon immersed in the icy December water, being thrown around by the waves, inhaling the cold water as he floated on his back, in the hope someone was on their way to rescue him.

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RNLI volunteers from Newhaven responded to their pagers and launched the lifeboat and upon arrival spotted Dermot from a distance floating motionless in the water appearing to be face down.

As they got closer, to their relief he was facing up and still alive. The lifeboat crew managed to navigate the crashing waves to get near enough to grab hold of Dermot and pull him onboard and take him to the safety of the lifeboat station.