The water got deep so suddenly we were almost swimming in it - it was terrifying

Yvonne Butterworth and her family were visiting Fleetwood beach for the first time with a large group, including her daughter, her daughter’s boyfriend and his little brother and their dogs.

But the group, who were not familiar with the tidal patterns, were horrified when they unexpectedly found themselves cut off, with the water suddenly rising.

Yvonne was speaking as many families prepare to head to the coast to enjoy the Easter school break and just as the RNLI has revealed the results of a survey which shows how little many people know about tides.

Yvonne, from Yorkshire, says the family had previously checked the tide times but they weren’t aware that high tide times were different to low tide times.

They headed down to the sea but once they got to the shore, they could see it was too deep so started heading back in. They could see people on the other side of the water waving them back in, including a lifeguard, but it was too late - they had been cut off by the tide.

Yvonne said of the incident, which occurred last summer: “Suddenly, the water was getting towards waist height. My partner, who had just had a shoulder replacement, got separated from us and stood on a sand embankment. Within two minutes, all the sand was gone.

‘My phone got wet and I couldn’t make any calls for help but I knew a lifeguard had seen us. I had to stay strong for my whole family. The water got deep so suddenly we were almost swimming in it.

‘We started getting separated and further away from each other which was making my daughter panic, it was terrifying. Then we saw the lifeboat, I told everyone to stay calm and tread water whilst the crew came to rescue us.

‘I’ve since been back to thank the crew with some cakes. If they hadn’t come out, I don’t think it would have been the outcome we ended up with. The water was so fast. I don’t think we would have survived.”

The survey, which the RNLI worked on with Bangor University, shows large gaps in tidal knowledge.

The findings of the nationwide research 3 revealed that around 15% of respondents report being cut off by the tide, or nearly cut off, in their lifetime which equates to 10 million people in the UK and Ireland. Many of those people didn't intend to be in or near the water.

Around 60% of those who had experienced tidal cut off were shocked at the speed they had become stranded.

The research also showed that four in ten people have no basic understanding of the tides and only half claim to check tide times before visiting a beach.

It further reveals that only a quarter (24%) of the public have sufficient ability to read and interpret a tide timetable in order to take the appropriate action to prevent being cut off by the tide.

The RNLI is urging people to use a trusted online source such as the Met Office before setting off on a trip. Coastal visitors should be aware the water may change quickly and very differently to what may be expected. The tide comes in and out twice in each 24-hour period, and while tide times can be accurate.