Ben Lovell (45), from Reading, recalled how a relaxing fishing trip to Hayling Island, Hampshire, turned into a traumatic ordeal on a dark, rainy night from which he might never have returned.
He was rescued in an operation coordinated by HM Coastguard with the help of an RNLI inshore lifeboat, quick-thinking with his phone, and smart advice from his wife.
Ben was taking a few days’ break on the south coast away from his busy job as director of a software company. Wearing waders, he was angling in the water on the afternoon of 16 October 2024.
With the tide coming in, Ben explained what happened next: “I can feel myself sinking. It’s starting to rain and get dark but I’m catching fish and getting distracted. I reeled in a fish and as I put it back I realise: I'm stuck fast.
“I’m not panicking – I’m thinking I can get out of this. But as the water is coming in, the more stuck I am getting. In about five minutes I was panicking. I thought to myself I am not getting out of this.
“I’m struggling and getting tired and the more I move, the more of a vacuum I’m creating around my leg. Then I twisted my leg and, where I was encased in the mud, I pulled a muscle.
“It’s getting darker and darker and the water keeps coming in – it's now up to my waist and the mud is not far below it.”
Ben’s safety tips
- Fish with a friend or tell someone where you are and when you’ll be back
- Check the tide and assess the risks where you are fishing
- Pack a torch, emergency inflatable belt, and appropriate, legal knife to cut yourself from a tangle
- In an emergency call 999 and ask for the Coastguard
Ben continued: “I thought, what’s the next step? I phoned my wife, Rebecca, and I knew she could hear the panic in my voice. She can do nothing at all but she said, ‘What are you doing? You need to call the Coastguard’.”
But he can’t. The rain on the screen of Ben’s phone makes it unresponsive. Thinking quickly, he instead uses the voice command function to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
“The woman on the line stayed on the phone with me for a while because she could tell I needed to be steadied,” he said.
From the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Fareham, HM Coastguard officers send the RNLI’s inshore lifeboat from Hayling, as well as Hayling, Portsmouth and Selsey Coastguard Rescue Teams and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service.
With the water now up to Ben’s armpits, his headtorch helps his rescuers locate him. Soon the lifeboat arrives and the crew ease him out of the mud to safety. He’s brought back to land where an ambulance crew confirms he’s okay and gives him a warm drink.
“It was a wave of relief,” Ben said. “Hopefully most people never find themselves in that situation where you feel your life is in the hands of others. If it was not for them I may never have got myself out.
“I was due to stay for two nights but I left as I was in a daze and just wanted to see my wife and kids. They were beside themselves with worry. I was in shock and it took me a few days to get over what happened.”
Ben added: “I'd like to thank the RNLI who picked me out of the mud, and the emergency services, including HM Coastguard. I really do feel I owe my life to all of them and I'm enormously grateful that they continue to put themselves in danger to protect us.”
• For more tips about staying safe around mud, visit hmcoastguard.uk/coast
• In an emergency by the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
