The RNLI has warned people not to take inflatables out to sea after three men had to be rescued on a giant duck near a beach in Devon.
Eyewitnesses reported how the men pumped up the duck, nicknamed Quackers, at Westward Ho! and took it out to sea with a friend on an inflatable kayak.
After five minutes they had drifted about 75 meters from the beach and the friend in the kayak tried in vain to push them back to shore.
The Coast Guard was called when Quackers was 200 yards offshore.
A member of the public went up to the duck on a paddleboard to try and get the men back to shore. He managed to drag Quackers closer to the beach, allowing the men to jump out and swim to safety.
Quackers was immediately blown back into the sea.
Appledore RNLI volunteers were in their offshore and all-weather lifeboats on their usual Tuesday evening training when they were ordered by the Coast Guard to assist the men in the duck.
The shore lifeboat arrived as the men returned safely to shore, with crew member Del Elsemore swimming in to check on them.
Mr Elsemore said: “The quick thinking of this paddle board member of the public prevented a dire situation from getting much worse. He was the real lifesaver of the day.”
The lifeboats returned to their exercise after the incident on 6 June, complete with Quackers on board.
A spokeswoman for the charity RNLI said: “With the strong tides and sea breeze of the Bristol Channel, Appledore RNLI is urging people never to go into the sea with inflatables.
“There is no way to control these and they are pulled back from shore in seconds.
“If anyone in the audience sees someone getting into trouble in the water, please, as this eyewitness did, call 999 and ask for the Coast Guard.”
