
Every day in the seas around the UK and Ireland, an army of unpaid volunteers put their lives on the line to save those of others. This series tells the story of the ordinary men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) who are ready to race to the rescue of those in trouble, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whatever the weather. Using footage shot on the crews' own cameras, this series takes us into the heart of the action, capturing the unpredictable work of the RNLI in unique detail.\n\nFrom first timers at sea to salty old skippers, the wrong conditions can catch anyone off their guard leaving them in need of rescuing. On the east coast of Ireland, the crew of Courtown's inshore lifeboat face one of their most challenging shouts ever - in deep water they must keep a teenage girl with suspected spinal injuries immobile and afloat for 40 minutes, knowing any movement could leave her paralysed for life. Meanwhile on the English Riviera in Devon, the Torbay crew have just minutes to find a capsized kayaker before she is dashed against the rocks, and in Dartmouth, an 81-year-old sailor, fallen overboard in the middle of the night, is left clinging to a rope for his life.
Source: BBC 2
Series 11: 6. Lifeguard Emergency
In Watergate Bay, one of Cornwall’s surfing hotspots, two teenage boys are caught in one of the beach’s notorious rip currents.\n\nWhen three distress signals are ac ...
22-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 5. Searching For A Pulse
When a kayaker calls a friend to say she’s in trouble out at sea, the line suddenly goes dead; the Happisburgh lifeboat crew finally find her over a mile off shore, face d ...
15-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 2. Sandbank Shipwreck
When a mayday comes in from a yacht breaking up on a sandbank off the Norfolk coast, both the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI crew and two of Caister’s independent lifeb ...
13-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 4. Young Surf Hero
A teenage boy rushes to help save a paralysed surfer from drowning. When a 999 call comes in, the Appledore crew are tasked with an immediate launch. \n\nIn Little and Broad Hav ...
08-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 4. Teenage Mayday
A mayday comes in from a French yacht 16 miles west of St Helier, in the Channel Islands; on board are two teenage girls whose father is unconscious. On the Firth of Tay, the Br ...
08-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 1. Man Overboard
The Porthcawl crew respond to a 999 call about a local fisherman who’s fallen overboard. As they discover the casualty’s identity, their search becomes increasingly ...
07-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 3. Family Sos
The Newbiggin crew race to the rescue of three children who have been swept out to sea on a small inflatable dinghy; the situation escalates when reports come in that the father ...
06-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 10: 4. Yacht On The Rocks
The Newhaven crew make a desperate attempt to convince a solo yachtsman that he needs rescuing; when his anchor line snaps, he is at the mercy of the rolling swells and the stor ...
29-07-2026
BBC 2
Series 10: 3. Windsurfer Caught In The Storm
With Storm Eunice - and its 100 mph winds - battering the south coast, the Portsmouth crew have to decide whether they can even launch to a windsurfer in trouble. Once they&rsqu ...
22-07-2026
BBC 2
Series 10: 2. Race To Rescue A Family
A ten-year-old boy is swept out to sea on a paddleboard in North Berwick. His parents have rushed out to try and save him, but all three of them are now struggling in the water. ...
09-07-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 4. Young Surf Hero
A teenage boy rushes to help save a paralysed surfer from drowning. When a 999 call comes in, the Appledore crew are tasked with an immediate launch. \n\nIn Little and Broad Hav ...
08-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 3. Family Sos
The Newbiggin crew race to the rescue of three children who have been swept out to sea on a small inflatable dinghy; the situation escalates when reports come in that the father ...
06-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 1. Man Overboard
The Porthcawl crew respond to a 999 call about a local fisherman who’s fallen overboard. As they discover the casualty’s identity, their search becomes increasingly ...
07-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 2. Sandbank Shipwreck
When a mayday comes in from a yacht breaking up on a sandbank off the Norfolk coast, both the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI crew and two of Caister’s independent lifeb ...
13-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 4. Teenage Mayday
A mayday comes in from a French yacht 16 miles west of St Helier, in the Channel Islands; on board are two teenage girls whose father is unconscious. On the Firth of Tay, the Br ...
08-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 11: 5. Searching For A Pulse
When a kayaker calls a friend to say she’s in trouble out at sea, the line suddenly goes dead; the Happisburgh lifeboat crew finally find her over a mile off shore, face d ...
15-09-2026
BBC 2
Series 6 (shortened Versions): Episode 5
Each year the volunteer crews of the RNLI respond to around 9,000 call outs, from paddleboarders swept out to sea to sinking fishing boats, from families caught in rip currents ...
24-03-2026
BBC 2
Series 2: Episode 11
Every day around the UK, an army of unpaid volunteers put their lives on the line to try and save complete strangers. Saving Lives at Sea tells the story of the ordinary men and ...
22-03-2018
BBC 2
Series 6 (shortened Versions): 2. Saving Lives At Sea
Each year the volunteer crews of the RNLI respond to around 9,000 call outs, from paddleboarders swept out to sea to sinking fishing boats, from families caught in rip currents ...
20-03-2025
BBC 2
Series 9: 10. Hidden Dangers
The RNLI respond to over 9,000 shouts each year - and what often gets people into trouble in the first place are the hidden dangers.\n\nIn Porthcawl, on the south-west coast of ...
14-05-2026
BBC 2