Latest / DunkersPodcast / Making Waves Through Community and Cold Water | Phil Woods

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Making Waves Through Community and Cold Water | Phil Woods · DunkersPodcast

0:10
Welcome and welcome to the Dunker's Podcast.
0:13
I'm Mark P affectionately known as the Hoth down here.
0:17
And this is live in Abersoch, Wales.
0:20
And the podcast episode today is called Making waves with woods,
0:24
safety, sea legs and spaniels. Cold water dunking sounds
0:29
simple. In, out, shiver, repeat.
0:33
But it comes with questions. What if I have a weak heart?
0:37
Can I still breathe? I can't even swim.
0:40
Smart questions, especially when you remember all we've done and
0:43
the riskier things we've done on a night out.
0:46
Luckily, Abasot Dunkers has its own guardian of the way up
0:50
waves. My guest Phil Woods, or
0:53
affectionately known as Woods down here.
0:56
RNLI lifeboat captain, first aider all year surfer, spaniel
1:01
Wrangler and proud husband of Emma A Dunker Co founder.
1:06
Oh, and he once studied marine law, then sensibly ignored that
1:11
and surfed the world instead. That's far better.
1:15
He's also about to receive a prestigious RNLI Vellum Award
1:19
for helping save a climber who fell off a Cliff.
1:22
That's the level we're dealing with today.
1:25
Woods lives and breathes water safety, from running first aid
1:29
courses to knowing the signs of real danger on a beach.
1:32
He'll share hopefully practical tips for new dunkers and why he
1:37
still encourages the most reluctancy goers to take the
1:41
plunge. So whether you're in a change
1:43
row or still dunking your toes, Woods says something to teach us
1:47
all. Let's dive in.
1:49
Welcome Woods to Dunker's podcast.
1:51
Thank you, Mark. Now I know that you're not an
1:54
8:15 AM dunker. Is there something that we, you
1:59
know that you're not telling us? I've.
2:01
Just always worn a wet suit, you know, Always been in the water,
2:03
always wearing a wet suit. I just struggle getting past
2:08
that kind of waist level in cold water without a wet suit on
2:11
really as a man. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
2:16
Do you know, I know a good retailer, it's called Emma Shot
2:19
Water Sports. They have neoprene shorts.
2:21
Did you know that they do work as well?
2:25
Yeah. I'm sure, I'm sure.
2:26
Yeah, I know. I let Emma go.
2:27
She. That's her thing and always has
2:29
been. So I'll take the spaniel for a
2:31
walk, Nelson and she'll go for Dunk and then I'll look after
2:34
the boys. Brilliant.
2:35
Brilliant. Yes, because the boys go to
2:37
school Local. Local.
2:38
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
2:40
So with Emma and the dunkers, the origin of the dunkers,
2:43
obviously that sort of came out of COVID.
2:46
Did you always know that something like this was going to
2:48
happen? And is this what Emma's known
2:51
for? Yeah, I think she she likes to
2:55
try something new and that was something new.
2:57
And with Hattie, obviously during COVID times, they and
3:01
just after, obviously they just kept going in the water, found
3:04
that kind of endorphin rush that they you all seem to get after
3:08
being in the cold water, coming out of the cold water.
3:12
And it sets them up for the day, makes them feel alive.
3:14
So yeah, I think for Emma, yeah, that's her thing, definitely.
3:19
Yeah, it is, isn't it? She she can really relate to
3:21
that. And and when even when she's not
3:23
peddlable, even when she is peddlable, she goes through dunk
3:26
as well, doesn't she? Yeah, yeah.
3:27
I think it just sets her up for the day and if she's having, you
3:32
know, a bit of a tough time with whatever in life, what you all
3:35
have, that's a reset button for her, definitely.
3:38
Yeah, and your reset button. Surfing, Surfing.
3:41
Foiling. Yeah.
3:43
Oh, yes, you're a foiler, of course.
3:44
Yeah. All those things.
3:46
Anything in the water, really. Yeah.
3:47
Anything, Yeah. So which is easier, surfing or
3:50
foiling? I've done surfing longer so I'd
3:52
probably find that easier. They each have the drawbacks I
3:57
suppose. On the learning curve side of
3:59
things, I would say surfing is the more simplistic sport.
4:05
OK. Foiling, right.
4:07
OK. Because you were.
4:08
In fact, I joined you one day when we went over to Mickey's
4:12
and you were having a look at these surfboards that are driven
4:16
by a handheld propeller under the water on the fin.
4:19
E foils electric foils the battery in the board and there's
4:22
a small propeller at the bottom of the foil which is underneath
4:25
the board and that gives you the speed for the foil to lift.
4:27
Yeah, right. But not as free.
4:30
Not as free spirited as sticking over a surfboard on your car,
4:34
going to Caliad and just surfing free.
4:37
No, no, it's it's that's like I said, it's simplistic, you know,
4:41
wet sit on boarding to your arm, don't need anything else.
4:43
Just get in the sea where the waves are small, big, whatever.
4:46
You just get that instant hit like you guys do.
4:48
It's yeah, the reset button if you like.
4:50
Yeah, yeah. And it's so important.
4:52
And so you say that you've always been around water.
4:55
Why is that? Is it just because you you grew
4:59
up down here? Yeah, I blame my parents living
5:04
on the world originally. Dad's ex mariner always had
5:10
boats, always sailing. Family holidays were Port
5:14
Maddock to here, from here to Aberdovi, Newquay, South Wales,
5:20
Ireland, Isle of Man, so always on the water.
5:23
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Wherever water you could be
5:27
found as. My dad would always say he
5:29
couldn't live anywhere where he's not near water.
5:31
If he's in a city, he's not happy.
5:32
OK, So his office, when he was working for a shipping company
5:36
in Liverpool, his office, he could see the Mersey.
5:39
So he was happy right home. We were next to the beach on the
5:43
wheel. Happy.
5:43
Yeah, you know. Yeah, yeah, it's, I mean, and
5:46
that do you know, that's although Liverpool is a city
5:49
that is the great thing a lot of people do enjoy about Liverpool
5:52
because all around that coast, that file coast, there's there's
5:55
lots and lots of people live there and just full access to
5:59
the water. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
6:00
So you've always sort of thought, OK, well, if water's
6:04
going to be part of my life, you, you sort of went into lots
6:08
of different things, didn't you? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
6:11
Going back to, you know, school on the Wirral and then on to
6:14
university, you know, you can imagine my applications for
6:17
different universities around the country were based on their
6:20
location to surf spots. So I think you mentioned I did
6:25
maritime business and law, which is correct, but I I applied for
6:30
three different courses at Plymouth University.
6:32
Did you? Yeah, yeah.
6:34
And the the janitor was the 4th one that you're going to have to
6:37
go for it if you didn't get. Yeah, exactly.
6:40
That, yeah, it was Plymouth or nowhere for me, yeah.
6:42
Oh, right, OK. Even because Bangor has got a
6:44
reputation for maritime, hasn't it?
6:47
Or is that more? Oh, it's it's it's marine
6:53
biology. Marine biology.
6:54
Thank you. Yeah, thank you.
6:55
It's so. Kate Griffiths is on the
6:57
lifeboat with us here. She went to Bang University.
7:00
She's got a doctorate in marine biology, works for National
7:03
Resources Wales. But yeah, she would sing the
7:05
praises of Bang University for their facilities for marine
7:09
biology. Yeah, yeah.
7:10
Yeah, yeah, common water mistakes.
7:13
I mean, what are the mistakes that people generally overlook
7:17
when it comes to water, especially the ocean?
7:20
Because the Ocean's got a life of its own, obviously.
7:22
Yeah, you with people, they they're either fearful of the
7:25
ocean because it's unpredictable.
7:28
Well, they don't have that fear. And they go in thinking
7:30
everything's going to be OK without checking everything
7:32
first. I mean, here we've got quite a
7:35
lot of tidal influences. So, you know, we've got a big
7:38
tidal stream that runs in and out of here.
7:40
You know, we've got Barty Sound, which is one of the most
7:42
dangerous stretches of water in the world.
7:44
No, really. Yeah, yeah, wow.
7:47
So you might see in one of the pubs around here and you can see
7:51
them online actually, the these old maps of all the shipwrecks
7:55
and you see there's a high concentration just because in
7:57
the old days there was a lot of shipping.
7:58
So slate out to Port Maddock, you know, you've got the
8:01
Cranberry drug, old quarry here and things like that.
8:04
It's a lot of shipping. But to go north they have to go
8:07
through party Sound is the quickest way.
8:09
It's a real pinch point of tides.
8:12
So that's tidal, you've got weather.
8:15
Obviously the Flint Peninsula sticks quite a way out into the
8:18
into the sea and we've got a big mountain range next to us, so
8:22
the weather's quite changeable because of those.
8:24
They will affect the weather, OK, And people just don't
8:28
realise how quickly it can change.
8:29
So that catches a lot of people out.
8:31
Definitely the weather, tides and just going out.
8:35
I'll equipped. Yeah, yeah.
8:37
And then I suppose cold, yeah, yeah, because if they do get in
8:41
the water, it's amazing how quick the cold gets through T
8:44
bones. Yeah, yeah.
8:46
So. Yeah, hypothermia or onset
8:49
hypothermia then leads to hypothermia, then leads to
8:52
severe hypothermia. It's a kind of three stages, if
8:55
you like. OK.
8:56
The onset hypothermia is when your body starts shivering, you
8:59
feel cold, you want to wrap up warm, get something in your
9:02
head. That's your onset hypothermia.
9:05
That's your body telling you, OK, it's getting cold out right?
9:08
And it's try and keep myself warm so it starts to shiver.
9:11
Muscle spasms OK and that's. Going to generate a little bit
9:13
of heat friction I. Was going to say shivering is
9:15
supposed to be. It's, it's sort of the norm,
9:18
isn't it? Yeah, it's the.
9:18
Norm Yeah. So when you stop shivering,
9:20
that's when you should worry. That's hypothermic.
9:22
Oh, really? OK, right.
9:26
I don't know. Hypothermia, it's a it's a big
9:28
subject. It's within, yeah, within first
9:31
aid. But yeah, getting cold is a big
9:32
problem. Yeah, yeah.
9:33
You don't want to get cold. No, no.
9:35
And what another tell tale sign? I know it happens to myself and
9:39
one or two other dunkers is Reynard.
9:41
Yeah, yeah, that's, that's, you know that you got cold when your
9:45
fingers and. Yeah, yeah.
9:47
And and Vanessa, who we we all know very well, I think her
9:51
fingers and her toes go. I'm surprised her legs don't go.
9:54
She goes absolutely crystal white.
9:57
Yeah. And it takes a while to get back
9:59
again. Yeah.
9:59
So that that's your your body sucking all that blood into the
10:02
core to try and keep everything working.
10:05
So your your arms and legs don't really need those to live?
10:09
No, they're handy, obviously. Yeah, to get out of the water.
10:13
But all your vital organs are in your torso and then obviously
10:16
your brain, so it'll your body will just withdraw as much blood
10:19
as it can. OK.
10:20
Into the core, so that that is stopping that sort of
10:25
circulation. Yeah.
10:27
And it's keeping it localised within your torso.
10:29
So that's why it tends to go white.
10:30
OK, so he's trying to keep your core warm, which then you know
10:34
where the pump is. That's pumping the blood up to
10:36
your brain and keeping everything working.
10:38
And so if you this is slightly left field there, if you
10:42
actually died of the cold, would that mean that the circulation
10:46
is getting tighter and tighter and tighter and then you just
10:49
your organs gave out? Yeah, there is lots of, I don't
10:57
know, scenarios where people have been very cold, fallen into
11:00
ice lakes, can't remember the woman's name, a lady doctor in
11:04
America, and she was under the water for, I think, 30 minutes.
11:09
I could be wrong. I'd have to research that again
11:11
then. Should have researched it before
11:12
I came anyway. And whenever I do first aid
11:16
courses, when I'm shadowing other people and listening to
11:19
them deliver a course, there's one phrase that always comes up.
11:23
And you're not dead until you're warm and dead.
11:26
And this goes back to that Lady in the lake.
11:28
She'd been under that long, they actually brought her back with
11:30
no long term side effects. So because her body had shut
11:35
down, so it goes, the last thing to lose the blood will be the
11:39
brain, right? So the, the heartbeat could be
11:41
almost undetectable. But they managed to bring her
11:45
back, get the heart going again, get the blood pumping warmer up
11:47
gradually. And she was right as right.
11:50
Unbelievable. So yeah.
11:51
Unbelievable. So it's almost like cryogenics,
11:55
correct? Yeah.
11:56
So you talk about cryogenics, but that's what they're trying
11:59
to do, isn't it? They're trying to put the the
12:01
body into that state when it's minimal to keep it going as long
12:06
as possible. So it's not it's not dying such
12:10
but and I don't know how that can be, how long that can be
12:12
prolonged for. That's something for scientists
12:14
to figure out, but there is that shutting down of everything to
12:18
the point of it just keeping you alive and you can be brought
12:22
back from that. Right, right.
12:24
So, yeah. So everybody that goes in the.
12:27
I suppose that would have been handy at the time of Titanic
12:30
because so many of them drowned of the cold didn't.
12:33
And with the cold, yeah. Yeah, it was.
12:35
So the breathing will stop. You won't be taking on any
12:37
water, you won't be trying to breathe, but there's enough
12:40
oxygen in your blood to keep vital organs going for a certain
12:43
period of time. They talk about the golden hour,
12:45
anything after that. It's a bit of a fight after that
12:48
because there might be long term damage.
12:50
OK, because the. Brain's been starved of oxygen
12:52
for too long, right? For that kind of golden hour
12:55
area. Is yeah, you've got a chance.
12:58
Got. A good chance, Yeah, very good
13:00
chance. OK, so that's the most dramatic.
13:03
What, what would you say? What would you say for the
13:07
dunkers who join us at 8:15 in the morning?
13:10
What what are the the early tell tales that they should look for
13:13
Phil? Well, it's that shivering that
13:16
means you're getting cold and yeah, extremities, so they call
13:20
it capillary refill. So if you pinch your nail bread,
13:24
it should go white and then it should go back to red within 3
13:28
seconds. Hold it for five, let go, count
13:31
to three. If the blood's not coming back,
13:33
then if obviously having that capillary retraction.
13:37
So the, that core is trying to keep itself warm.
13:39
So it's not, it's not giving blood to extremities as much as
13:42
it should do. It comes to everything else.
13:43
That's another telltale sign to that white you're talking about
13:46
with Vanessa and people. Yeah.
13:47
Yeah, I think. Who was it you said?
13:51
Yeah. So I think it's a common thing
13:53
for one degree of water temperatures, how many minutes
13:56
you should spend in it, is that right?
13:57
Is that? Where you Yeah, that's yeah,
13:59
it's it's for. Beginners.
14:00
I'm talking for people starting out doing this cold water
14:02
dunking. Don't.
14:03
Don't go that no, no, no. And that's the, I mean, in
14:06
fairness, that's what we've sort of, I think that Wim Hof who's
14:10
met has commercialized this old cold water dunking fad or phase
14:15
or on fashion, whatever you call it.
14:18
He suggests that you don't need to go into cold water for longer
14:21
than about 2 1/2 minutes because you get the benefit of the cold
14:24
water bang and you know, it gets into your vagus nerve.
14:28
And that's, that's, that's all that then goes through your
14:31
body. But I think we anecdotally, we
14:36
say to people, we'll stay in for a minute.
14:38
If it's 10°, we stay in 10 minutes.
14:40
I don't know why. I think probably because we just
14:42
like chatting. So if you get out at 3 minutes,
14:46
you miss the gossip. There's.
14:47
A top tip for you don't gossip for too long.
14:51
I can just tell our listener. The other top tip is I've just
14:53
squeezed my nail for five, let it for three, and it's still
14:56
gone pink. So we will see the end of this
14:58
podcast. I think, I think with regards
15:03
to, you know, immersion in, in water.
15:04
So when you're in the water, cold water could be cold. 16°
15:11
isn't warm, it's still cold. If you're in it for a long
15:13
period of time you will still become hypothermic because your
15:17
core temperatures around 37 ish 36°.
15:21
So if you're in submerged in a in a temperature that's below
15:24
that, then obviously it's going to a cooling effect over long
15:27
periods of time. So I think depending, like you
15:29
just said, if the water temperature's a certain degrees,
15:32
then that will dictate how long you're going to spend in in that
15:34
water temperature because the cooling will be quicker if it's
15:36
colder. Yeah.
15:38
So this time of year you're hoping that water temperature's
15:40
a bit warmer so you can stay longer so that you've got a
15:43
gauge on the on the conditions, right?
15:45
OK, so, OK, so caution there. What would you say to people who
15:50
are generally a bit afraid of the water?
15:53
I mean, there's quite a few people that will go into the
15:56
into the swimming baths, for example, but they really are
16:00
seriously nervous when it gets into the ocean.
16:03
Is the ocean safer, worse, easier than than the baths or?
16:10
I think people are are fearful of that deep water.
16:12
It's almost you, you get people are claustrophobic.
16:15
I can't remember what the term is for people who are
16:18
agoraphobic open spaces. And I think that applies to the
16:22
if you like my kids, for instance, they jump in the sea,
16:26
They'll they'll spend all day using down in the rock there all
16:29
day in their own depth. They're getting better as they
16:30
get older, but when they were younger, that moment when they
16:34
can't see the bottom, they become fearful.
16:36
And I think that's the same for a lot of people with the with
16:39
the sea. It's that it's just endless in
16:42
some people's perspective, isn't it?
16:43
It goes on forever. And that's but the swimming
16:45
bats, you've got four sides, couple of strokes, you can touch
16:48
the side, couple of strokes you can touch the side.
16:50
And I think that for some people might be, but don't be afraid of
16:54
that. Just stay in your depth.
16:55
I mean, you don't have to go out of your depth to to dunk, do
16:58
you? No.
16:58
No, you have to get up to your. Shoulders, keep your head out of
17:00
the water. Absolutely dunk.
17:02
Yourself under. Yeah.
17:03
And with a group like yourselves, everyone's looking
17:06
after you. I was.
17:06
Going to say there's always somebody with a mind, yeah.
17:08
So if you've got that fear, don't go on your own.
17:10
Meet up with like minded people and have a go OK.
17:13
And what's about get quick warm, get warming up?
17:17
I mean, what's you're obviously a surfer, you surf all over,
17:21
what's the easy what's, what are your tips for getting warm?
17:24
Simple as that. So pre preparation is it?
17:28
Yeah, yeah. So for instance, if I'm getting
17:31
changed and it's February and it's windy, whistling sands,
17:34
blowing a Gale, freezing cold, I will make sure my socks are the
17:37
right way round. I will just turn them inside out
17:39
and then throw them in the back of the cars.
17:41
I'm getting changed in wet suit because the surf's good.
17:43
I want to get in quickly, make sure everything's ready for when
17:45
you get out, you know, tallying robe on or whatever.
17:50
And you can get your clothes on relatively quickly if you're
17:52
fiddling around with stuff for too long that you've exposed the
17:55
elements for too long. So good point.
17:57
Plan your. Exit.
17:59
Exit. Yeah, yeah.
18:00
So yeah, that would help. Yeah.
18:04
If I am surfing and and now I'm getting on in years, a warm up
18:09
doesn't hurt. You know before you go in, don't
18:11
go in the water already cold. Good point.
18:14
OK, So what? Warm up, Stretch, Yeah.
18:16
Stretches, whatever it may be. I might stretch now for about 5
18:19
minutes on the beach. Oh, really?
18:20
Yeah, I. Might do a bit of running on the
18:21
spot, running down a little bit, get everything that's more to do
18:25
because I'm doing something dynamic.
18:26
I was. Going to say, is that because
18:27
you're, yeah, you are doing things dynamic, whereas we're
18:30
more passive, aren't we? Yeah.
18:31
But, you know, if you already cold before you go in, you know,
18:35
don't walk down the beach in your T-shirt and shorts in
18:38
February because you're going to be cold before you get in.
18:40
But yeah, be warm before you go in, have the benefits come out
18:44
and get warm again, Yeah. Yeah, you know, so it's, as you
18:47
say, prepare for your exit. Yeah, Yeah, Big thing that.
18:50
And in the in the sort of a just a hint at sort of slight
18:54
negative things. Is there a sort of a basic first
18:58
aid that we should that we dunkers and dunkers everywhere
19:02
should be very aware of as as far as looking after yourself
19:06
and as far obviously looking after yourself?
19:08
It's about the exit. It's about not going in when
19:10
you're cold. What about other people?
19:12
Is the basic first aid that we should?
19:14
You should. Just if you're in a group and
19:16
you, you know people, you should, you know, we all do it.
19:20
We recognise someone if something's not right.
19:21
Wouldn't we? Yeah.
19:22
We would, yeah. Yeah, whether it's they've been
19:24
and they've come out and they're not looking right, they've gone
19:27
quiet. They might have been in too long
19:29
then they might have got too cold.
19:31
So you know, hypothermia people can go quite quiet and they
19:37
might not see themselves it. It's a tricky one, first aid,
19:42
because you can go quite in depth with first aid.
19:45
I know people say basic first aid and you know, you mentioned
19:50
we will be doing course, we will be doing course and there'll be,
19:51
you know, a one day or two day course.
19:54
And within the marine environment, hypothermia is a
19:56
big thing, you know, and in any first day scenario now whether
20:02
it's in the water on land, warm is a key factor that if if
20:07
someone sat on the ground and they're not insulated from the
20:11
ground, that's like a big. Magnet.
20:14
Almost a cold magnet, isn't it? It'll suck.
20:17
The heat out of you. Yeah.
20:18
So if you if you, if someone is cold and I mentioned before
20:22
hypothermia rather than onset hypothermia, if they're there
20:25
and they're just they've been shivering and then they stop
20:28
shivering and you've not been insulating them, that means
20:31
they're hypothermic. The body goes into that second
20:33
stage where it won't, it won't you won't shiver anymore.
20:36
And you almost feel like that really warm feeling like, oh,
20:40
yeah, I'm OK. There's like stories of guys on
20:42
Everest will start stripping off.
20:43
Absolutely. And that's that hypothermic
20:46
mode. So if you can keep people
20:48
insulated, don't try and warm anyone too quickly as well.
20:52
It's a gradual warm. If you think they're
20:54
hypothermic, don't try and put them in a hot hot bath.
20:57
Hot shower, hot drink is OK. I just wrap them up with loads I
21:02
was. Going to say layers.
21:03
This sounds like layers on layers, yeah.
21:05
And insulate them from the ground if they sat on something
21:07
and get something underneath them, whether it's your other
21:09
change robe or whatever, you've got stick loads of stuff
21:12
underneath them to insulate them as much as possible.
21:14
Yeah, yeah. Hypothermic can cause other
21:18
health issues. Sure can affect the heart quite
21:22
a lot. You can put your heart into
21:23
shock. So it might go into.
21:25
I don't want to get into all this really, but.
21:28
Well, it's, I mean, I think you've given us a really good
21:31
picture and it's, it starts with everybody being aware of
21:35
everybody else because it does, it does affect people.
21:38
And you don't have to be skinny as a rake or, you know, really
21:43
fleshy and barrowly, because at all you can.
21:46
Whoever you are and whatever you size, you can get cold.
21:50
It's as simple as that, isn't? It people, people are affected
21:52
by the cold in different ways. Some people will just not get
21:55
affected by it at all. Other people really feel it
21:58
right. So people will gauge it
22:00
themselves, they feel really cold, they'll wrap themselves
22:02
up, etcetera. And people, you'll see people
22:04
standing there chatting in the swimsuit for ages because they
22:07
don't feel the cold as much. So everyone's got their own kind
22:11
of level like we've. Got we've got a pal Julian.
22:13
Yeah, it's exactly that. How the hell you.
22:16
I think we all look at him. There's there can be sort of 20
22:19
sets of eyes thinking how on earth is he still warm?
22:22
Yeah, he's just as he says he's. What does he say to me?
22:25
He says Mark, don't worry. He says I've got a bit more
22:27
timber on than me than you, so I can manage.
22:31
But he he just doesn't seem to get cold, so no.
22:34
Extra central heating that boy. So.
22:37
Not that we'd not that we'd let him know anyway.
22:40
So surfing is surfing more dangerous as far as the cold to
22:46
Duncan, because Duncan's a very in out, isn't it?
22:49
As I said at the very beginning, surfing, you seem to be in the
22:52
water a long time. Yeah, but we're really well
22:56
insulated. OK, this is Lee's like 5 mil
23:00
hoods hoodies the full bit so. You guys will wear Will advocate
23:04
the gloves and boots, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:06
That's a biggie. And that's your extremity.
23:08
So they get cold 1st and you get that real pain as everything
23:13
starts to warm back up and it's been really cold.
23:15
The pins and needles are tingling.
23:16
It's like a pain that won't go almost.
23:19
It takes a few minutes before that circulation comes out and
23:21
you kind of. Just a few.
23:22
Hence the reason we walk up the beach.
23:24
Yeah. Everything moving again?
23:25
Yeah. Warming back up.
23:27
Great. But because we're sat there
23:29
almost, you know, not moving, waiting for the next wave,
23:34
waiting for the best wave, You need to be interested because
23:37
you're just sat in the water again, right?
23:39
We're at that below double figures, so 89°, maybe less
23:43
depending on the time of year. And we want to be in for a
23:45
couple of hours on the surf. So we need to be insulated.
23:48
If you're moving all the time, it's not so bad when you're sat
23:52
out of the back chatting like you do Duncan and yeah.
23:54
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Talking about this that and the
23:56
other you need to be insulated so yeah hood so that helps
23:59
regulate your temperature extremities boots and gloves and
24:02
then a thick wet suit. Wet suits have got a lot better
24:06
because you know, I remember when I first started, a thick
24:08
wet suit meant you couldn't move I.
24:11
Was a bit like, yeah, straight jacket as yeah as technology's
24:14
gone. And they're a lot more flexible
24:15
now so you don't feel like you're as constricted.
24:17
So it's it's become more enjoyable.
24:20
And I think a lot of the companies within that industry
24:23
have recognised that the cold water surfing is probably bigger
24:27
than the warm water surfing. OK, OK.
24:30
A lot of people go into different frontiers to try and
24:33
find new spots. Sure.
24:34
So you think around kind of the West Coast of Canada where it's
24:39
all, you know, remote islands. There's people there surfing all
24:43
these weird places followed by seals and orcas and all sorts
24:45
of. Yeah.
24:46
Yeah, and ice and. ICE, Yeah, yeah, Northern
24:49
Russia, the the Scandinavian nations, it's huge there now as
24:53
well. They do get surf and for us, you
24:57
know, northern Scotland's got some of the best breaks in
24:59
Europe. That's it.
25:01
Yeah. Because we always used to as a
25:02
nation default down to Cornwall, didn't we?
25:05
Yeah. But now it's, it's N northward
25:08
bound. Yeah.
25:09
And the East Coast of the UK, Yorkshire again.
25:11
Water's not as pretty as here. It's consistently brown.
25:14
Yeah, you can't see. Right, right.
25:16
A. Metre or a foot below the
25:18
surface, but again, loads of surf there and it's all cold
25:21
water. Yeah, always makes us.
25:23
Laugh, we've been there surfing and we'll be in thick wet suits
25:26
and the locals would be in thin wet suits in the summer.
25:29
Yeah. And they're just used to it
25:30
because they're hard. Yeah, because they're hard.
25:32
Yeah, yeah. So where's the best place you've
25:34
ever served? Oh, Indonesia.
25:36
Really. Yeah, but you didn't need a 5
25:37
mil there, did you? Nope.
25:40
Well, yeah, I mean, that's another story about different
25:43
people's temperatures in water, right?
25:45
He sat out the back, so out the back of the breaking waves,
25:48
waiting for the next big sat, sat next to an Australian.
25:50
OK. And he'd been out, we'd been out
25:52
there for a couple of weeks and he's there just giving a little
25:54
bit of a shiver. You know, he's got like a wet
25:57
suit top on his hat on and stuff.
25:59
And he's like, chilly this morning, isn't it?
26:01
I'm like, you're joking. Don't know what cold is.
26:05
And again, you talk about different people's perspective
26:08
of cold water. But yeah, he's found the early
26:09
mornings a bit chilly for him. But he was from kind of the Gold
26:13
Coast, so. Houston Board.
26:15
Shorts all the year round, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I know Ryan.
26:17
Ryan, who lives in Sydney, my son, he's he says that the
26:22
average is sort of 2526 and in there.
26:25
And and that's not as warm as the Gold Coast, obviously it's
26:29
yeah. So but Indonesia was your best
26:32
spot. Yeah, it's just variety of
26:34
waves. You kind of get that back to
26:37
basics feeling. You get a lot of bang for your
26:42
buck. It's a cheap place to go,
26:44
exchange rates and stuff. But it's board short.
26:47
It's sunny most days. You do get the odd bit of
26:49
torrential rain, but the variety of surf and the quality of the
26:53
surf is amazing. Is it Yeah, yeah, just
26:55
insistent. Yeah, yeah.
26:57
And South Africa, because I believe that they have some big
27:00
waves there. Yeah, I'm.
27:01
Just not a fan of big sharks. Well, look, there's livestock
27:05
everywhere in the woods. Come on.
27:08
Be honest. Yeah, but no.
27:09
I. Don't know I I blame Jaws as a
27:12
child watching that film. Oh, do you?
27:13
Yeah. Put me off.
27:14
Shucks. Didn't they?
27:16
Didn't. Stop me again in the water.
27:18
But we've been to certain places and it's people always say you
27:21
get that kind of second sense and you heard there's something
27:24
else in the water with you. And yeah, I don't know, South
27:27
Africa just seen too many people diving in these cages with big
27:30
sharks and. Yeah.
27:31
Yeah, yeah. And and you know that that must
27:34
irritate the sharks a lot if you got all these people coming in
27:38
in cages and you can't get at them.
27:40
Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're a natural born hunter
27:44
then yeah, it gives you a mission in life, doesn't it?
27:47
I've seen. One bit of a shot getting into
27:49
one of the cages with someone, but really winning over the top.
27:52
Oh. Yeah, clever shark as well.
27:54
Found the. Whole.
27:55
Did it Yeah, yeah, OK. So obviously there's a lot of
28:01
education around to to make sure that if you do go in water you
28:05
you go in with the with the right consciousness about what's
28:08
going to happen. So just talking education,
28:11
maritime law degree, what was was that was you were sort of
28:16
destined to become more what, what do you what do you do with
28:19
the maritime law degree? Forgive my ignorance.
28:22
Well, so at university studying maritime law, a lot of it was to
28:28
do with the transport of oil, collisions involving oil
28:34
transporters, cargo ships. But the downside to it all there
28:40
was when I finished my degree, friend of mine, I did it with
28:44
Andrew Winter who's in shipping as we speak.
28:48
The prospects at the early stages, you'd end up doing
28:52
insurance claims for cruise liners for someone like P&O, for
28:56
someone who might have lost a handbag or a nice watch or
28:58
something. And that's what you'd be dealing
29:00
with within the shipping firms that and I didn't, I really
29:04
enjoyed the law aspect. So obviously with any sort of
29:10
law, you have to prove your point.
29:13
So it wasn't my fault. It wasn't my client's fault.
29:16
It was your client's fault. So why?
29:18
So you have to then research historical cases that support
29:22
your case. Yeah.
29:24
So enjoyed doing all that and enjoyed all the, the, you know,
29:27
the IRPCS of the International Rules of prevention of
29:30
collisions at sea. All that was really interesting
29:34
to me. Whose, whose right of way?
29:35
Was it right when one hit the other?
29:37
Yeah. And I, I, I, I've really enjoyed
29:42
the law aspect of it, but the prospects after it, I probably
29:45
should have stuck with it. But hey, the long term, like my
29:48
friend Andrew Winter is doing very well for himself right now,
29:50
but he doesn't get to surf very often.
29:53
He's stuck in like the Arab Emirates quite a lot in the
29:58
middle of the desert, you know, going from one air conditioning
30:02
unit to another air conditioning unit.
30:04
And it's only, it's only, it's only sort of release now is he's
30:08
into his Rd. biking. So that's him now dig into his
30:11
Rd. biking stuff. And he, yeah, I really, I did
30:17
really enjoy it and maybe I should have stuck with it.
30:19
I don't know. Yeah, Well, no, I mean clearly
30:21
not because this is your life and you know, finding somebody's
30:25
that the rules behind somebody's loss of a handbag isn't didn't
30:29
really float your boat, did it? So, you know, where do we go
30:32
from? That's probably.
30:32
One extreme of it, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
30:34
I suppose another thing that is is really surprised me when I
30:38
first got to know you was how involved you seem to be with the
30:41
RNLI talking of collisions and safety and rescuing people.
30:47
Hopefully not too much collisions with the RNI, but
30:49
yeah, I mean, that came from Charles, Charles Myers, who's
30:51
obviously OK, a long time resident of Abersoor.
30:55
I, I used to work at West Coast Surf as a, as a shop grommet and
31:00
Charles was a part, a partner in the business at that point.
31:04
And I think he just joined. And so, you know, we're short of
31:07
crew. Do you fancy that?
31:08
And this is in my early 20s, just moved down here, started
31:11
working at West Coast, then working for O'Shea.
31:14
And I thought, you know, it'd be good to put something back into
31:18
community I'm living in and you know, my love of the sea and
31:21
boating and everything else just.
31:23
Figured my. Dad was also involved.
31:25
The iron lie at Hoy Lake where he used to live OK, so he was a
31:30
deputy launch authority and helped with a lot of fundraising
31:33
there so that's a big boat there in Hoy lake.
31:36
So I had that kind of little bit of a connection and it just it's
31:40
a great social hub as well. I'm.
31:42
Sure. Yeah, I'm absolutely have.
31:44
They had the RNLI inflatable here for a long time.
31:47
Yeah, yeah. And a lifeboat in general for a
31:52
long time. Have they?
31:52
Yeah. Oh, right, you know the.
31:54
Old lifeboat station, you see? Yes, yeah.
31:57
And prior and then after that, a small inflatable D class by
32:01
Owie's Boatyard and then the Atlantic 85, which do you know
32:06
Barry McGill who used to I do, yes.
32:07
Yeah, yeah. The boatyard.
32:08
He used to own the boatyard. The.
32:10
Boatyard, yes, he was instrumental in the development
32:12
of the B class which we have now.
32:14
OK, so he. Literally in the design
32:17
development, yeah, it was part. Of the development so feedback
32:20
from him as a you know, time served Mariner and and also the
32:26
tractor as well. Yeah the submersible.
32:28
Well, not submersible, but the the tractor that we have now OK
32:32
in his yard he had two of the prototypes that have been built
32:34
that then were taken on by the the the producers.
32:38
But yeah, he had the first one propeller on the back and the
32:40
you know, the metal casing with the windows in it.
32:42
So he could go underwater. Well, not underwater, but yeah.
32:44
Yeah, in through the, through the waves, right.
32:47
Well, of course. Yeah, there's a long connection.
32:50
Here. Yeah, yeah, Barry, very
32:52
interesting guy. And Neil now is certain,
32:53
obviously, yes, been on the crew a long time, over 30 years and
32:56
he's adla with with us now. DLA.
33:00
Deputy Launch authority, Sorry. Yeah.
33:02
So you have the long, which is the launch operations manager,
33:05
which is currently Wynne Williams and Martin Turtle.
33:09
And then you've got below them the deputy launch authorities.
33:12
So they are the first point of contact from the Coast Guard
33:16
after they get the first initial report from a first informant or
33:23
the casualty themselves, and it goes down that chain and then we
33:26
get paged. We went to the station,
33:29
obviously don't go over the speed limit ever, never, and get
33:32
there in time. Learn what the incident is,
33:35
choose the crew accordingly, and out we go.
33:37
OK, OK, so everybody really sort of turns up and then gets chosen
33:42
because it's. Not just the four guys on the
33:43
boat, no. You've got to have a tractor
33:45
driver, sure. You've got to have a head
33:46
launcher. You've got to have Marshalls,
33:48
right? Got to get the boat ready right?
33:50
So there's a lot to go on. And I suppose the boat's getting
33:52
ready while you guys are getting kitted up, yeah.
33:55
Yeah, and then while the boat's out, you've got to reset
33:57
everything at the station, right.
33:59
So it's not just all about on the boat, it's about everything
34:02
to do with launching the boat and recovering the boat.
34:04
OK, getting ready for the next service, of course.
34:06
So as a crew, you know, we we have got quite a lot.
34:09
I suppose 18 more can't remember had the exact amount, but over
34:14
18, probably some new crew, some time served crew.
34:19
And it's that wealth of experience as well that gets
34:22
passed down, which is which is great and and it's good to see
34:27
what what we probably lack. I would say probably I wouldn't
34:31
hate you for saying this, but younger members of the community
34:35
joining right and as. Are there age limits?
34:39
I guess no, there's so there's no open at all.
34:41
Yeah, so. Yeah, again, Neil McGill hates
34:44
this fact. But it used to be 45 would be
34:46
the cut off for our boat. You'd have to retire.
34:50
And that's because it's an open boat and we go on rough weather,
34:54
so it's quite a taxing job. And then extend it to 50, then
34:58
5560 and on it goes. So it's, I think now it's kind
35:04
of depending on your health and circumstances, if you want to
35:08
stay on for longer, you can. But yeah, it used to be you'd be
35:12
asked to leave at a certain point, right?
35:14
So yes, there's no age of going back to the question, there's no
35:17
real age limits within reason. If you're getting close to that
35:20
age where you should be retiring with the RNI, look at it and
35:24
say, you know, it's a lot of, it's going to cost us a lot to
35:26
put you through this training and everything else.
35:28
Then you're going to have to retire in two years time.
35:30
Maybe a role within the RNI, a different role would be better
35:33
for you. So authority maybe, or a shore
35:36
crew or a tractor driver. So if you want to be involved,
35:41
there's no, there's no cut off for that.
35:44
It's just because of a the nature of your boat, because
35:47
it's exposed and rough weather and how fit you are basically
35:52
well. I will say I've learnt a lot
35:55
from being on the lifeboat. Have you?
35:57
And that's not just that. Well, yeah, it's more so just
36:03
awareness. And the RNLI teach you all about
36:08
sea safety. They teach you all about
36:10
emergency procedures, you teach, they teach you all about rough
36:13
weather handling, all this stuff that enables you to have that
36:18
confidence to go out in anything.
36:20
I know that bit of kit and the three guys behind me or I'm sat
36:23
in the middle, wherever we can do pretty much anything we want
36:26
to do. Within.
36:26
Yeah. Within.
36:27
Yeah, Within anything really, I think.
36:29
Yeah, yeah, you certainly have a go.
36:32
Yeah. Oh yeah.
36:33
You try and stop us, basically, yeah.
36:34
Yeah, yeah. So.
36:35
Have done in the past. But yeah, so hopefully whoever's
36:39
listening to this might, it might, it might just sort of
36:41
spark the, the encouragement or the enthusiasm of somebody
36:45
younger or a few people younger, Yeah.
36:47
I think whatever you what do they?
36:49
Do reach out to you as a local, as a local officer or an ally?
36:53
Generally, yeah. We practice every Thursday, OK,
36:56
so we'll, the boat will go out most Thursdays evenings.
36:59
We, we get like a test page at half six by 7:00.
37:03
Most people are there. The, you know, the, the launch
37:06
authorities and the operations managers will all be there.
37:09
And it's just a case of coming down.
37:11
See what we do, have a chat and do that a couple of times and
37:16
see if you like the idea of it. Whatever you see and meet the
37:20
other people. See if you get on with everyone
37:23
and then you kind of then put on a training program.
37:26
So you you start your your training program after a few
37:29
weeks and then it's about a 12 month process to becoming
37:34
hopefully allowed out on the boat on services.
37:38
So on actual shouts or just on exercises.
37:42
OK, there is, there is like a little little process.
37:44
But going back to that, there's not as many young people joining
37:49
the crew. And I think that's inherent of
37:51
the situation that if you do live here, it's quite hard to
37:55
get full time work. It's very, you know, seasonal
37:57
works easy. Yeah, yeah.
38:00
And generally people are now moving away to work.
38:02
You know, once they leave school or leave university, they'll.
38:05
They'll go because the industry and the opportunities aren't
38:08
here, are they? But.
38:09
What we are seeing is more people coming back.
38:10
OK, so. They've gone through that career
38:12
process and they've got to a point where, and you know, like
38:15
since COVID time, people work from home.
38:17
People don't have to go in the office as much or they have to
38:21
go in two days a week. So they're now looking for the.
38:23
Workforce is more fluid, isn't it?
38:24
Yeah, absolutely. So that's.
38:26
That's why I probably answering my own thing there were we're
38:29
probably seeing more sort of older people joining the crew
38:33
because they're they've got that sort of work fluidity that they
38:37
can work from home a bit, go to work office two days a week and
38:40
wherever. So like Steve Nelson and our
38:43
crew, we don't know what he does, spends a lot of time in
38:46
London. Steve, if you're listening, they
38:49
want to know. And it's, it's normally around
38:52
the kind of central parliament area.
38:55
So I don't know, very secretive, disappears off a couple of days.
38:59
So maybe he's one of those helicopters we see every now and
39:00
again being brought back and forth.
39:02
I don't know. Right.
39:03
But yeah, he's a, he's a classic example where he works a way to
39:06
go into London two or three days, but then he's back here.
39:09
So he's on the crew now. Has been for a few years.
39:11
Great. Added added member of the crew.
39:13
And we're seeing more of that. So it's not Yeah, don't, don't
39:17
let the age thing stop people from coming.
39:20
No, they just need they need to reach out.
39:22
So what happened on this particular shout that you you
39:26
earned such an accolade that you're going to get an award?
39:28
Well. We didn't know what we were
39:30
doing. Well, does it sound dessert?
39:34
Was it somebody that was stuck on a Cliff?
39:36
Yeah, so Vicky had been climbing all day.
39:40
I try not to labour this story too much.
39:43
And this was one of her last pictures of the day, which is
39:46
Clech Dock. Hope I pronounce that correctly.
39:48
Which is just after Porthqueria, before you get round to Kilan.
39:52
It's the last kind of headland there.
39:53
OK. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
39:55
Towards Porth Nagle. But they, they've been climbing.
39:59
She'd fallen some distance, so two of her anchor points, I'm
40:03
not a big climber, but two of her anchor points.
40:05
So she's been climbing. So she's been league climbing, I
40:09
believe it's the right term. And she'd slipped, fallen and
40:12
two of her anchor points are given away.
40:13
She'd swung, she'd hit the rocks at the bottom and landed in a
40:18
bit of a mess. The climbing partners with her
40:21
then had to climb up to call for help.
40:24
She was conscious and everything else.
40:27
So we got the call. Coast Guard wouldn't go down or
40:30
couldn't get down to it because the loose rocks that obviously
40:32
she'd fallen from. So if the call is to go down
40:36
underneath and that spot, if anyone knows it is notoriously
40:39
rough. But for that evening, it was
40:42
Mill Pond Flat. It was as flat as it gets.
40:45
No swell, no nothing. Wow.
40:46
If it'd been any different, it would have been virtually
40:48
impossible for us to get in, to get in.
40:50
We would have got in. We'd have given it a good go.
40:52
Yeah. Yeah.
40:52
We would have got someone on the beach, but getting her off would
40:54
have been 9, impossible. So we're looking in that
40:56
respect. It was late in the afternoon.
40:59
You know, it was going back to cold.
41:00
It was getting cold. She'd been sat on a rock for a
41:03
good couple of hours, so getting cold.
41:07
But when we got there, she was. She's an emergency doctor and
41:11
she basically told us what was going on.
41:12
Oh, really? Yeah.
41:13
I've fallen, you know, nigh on 40 foot.
41:16
I've hit my head, broken my leg. It's this leg.
41:20
I've definitely broken my tip and fib.
41:22
Can someone just do a sea spine check on me because I think I
41:25
hurt my back on the way down. I was like, OK, fine, I'll just
41:28
carry on. Then you just tell me what I
41:29
need to do. What a together lady.
41:32
Yeah, so. I went on assessed.
41:36
We had Lee, Sean and Andy with us, Lynn Shawn.
41:40
I then called in for Lynn Shawn to come assure assessed we
41:44
weren't going to get her up through the Cliff, going to be
41:47
tricky to get on the boat. So we asked for helicopter.
41:49
Helicopter came. Same scenario as the Coast
41:52
Guard, if they to win someone down directly above, they're
41:55
going to be hovering above the Cliff.
41:58
So any loose material with all that downdraft from a big
42:00
helicopter is going to get thrown onto US below.
42:02
So they refused outright, no matter how much we tried to
42:05
persuade them. So Andy came up with a genius
42:08
idea. So he was like, right, well, you
42:09
go and land on the beach at Porth Kerry Head and I'll come
42:12
and pick you up in the boat, right?
42:13
So we stayed on the beach while he didn't.
42:15
That came back. Meanwhile, we start packaging
42:18
her up, getting a move. We've got pain relief on board.
42:21
We can assess her and she was able to move herself a little
42:24
bit. As you say, she's very with it.
42:27
Paramedic from there, helicopter comes over, we get him ashore
42:31
with our orange basket stretcher.
42:33
He has a vacuum splint for her leg, gives a bit more pain
42:36
relief. We get in the stretcher and
42:39
again, Andy thinking on his feet as you do with the lifeboat, you
42:42
have to most of the time deflates half the boat.
42:46
So there's an option in our boat we can deflate it so it's easier
42:49
to get to get. In OK, yeah, yeah, because.
42:52
To get out to the boat we were probably in, probably chest deep
42:55
water to neck deep water at that point because the boat couldn't
42:58
come in so big bowl the size of cars.
43:00
You know, one minute you're knee deep, next minute you're above
43:02
your head. So we managed to get her up onto
43:05
the boat and then back to the beach, off the boat, into the
43:09
helicopter, off to the hospital. And that took a few hours to do
43:14
that. Yeah.
43:15
It was a long evening. Yeah.
43:17
You know, Was she? Conscious by the time she got to
43:19
the helicopter. Oh yeah.
43:20
Yeah, fully conscious old time. Yeah, yeah.
43:23
And. She said afterwards, I mean an
43:26
amazing lady, you know, sent us pictures and updates on her
43:29
recovery. You know, she sent us the scan,
43:32
video of the scan that she's receiving it from the doctor in
43:35
Stokes. They got to bang her and
43:37
realised she's needs specialist care.
43:40
So fluid then to was. This because of a spine?
43:42
Yeah, yeah, she's. Spine also stroke is the is the
43:45
trauma centre for the northwest, so centre there.
43:49
And yeah, she fractured her neck, fractured her back.
43:53
They didn't do too much with her neck.
43:55
They just put her in a neck brace.
43:57
They operated on a spine, put rods and screws and a spine to
44:00
fuse that back together, rods through a leg to fuse that back
44:03
together. Yeah.
44:06
She was told if if, if that injury in her neck or had gone,
44:11
you know, either way by millimetres.
44:14
Yeah, she'd been. Paralysed.
44:16
She'd a been paralysed and she could have severed one of her
44:18
arteries and died. Wow, it would have been game
44:21
over. What a.
44:22
Lucky lady. Yeah, yeah.
44:23
And that that for us as a crew, we said this afterwards, once we
44:26
learned to the actual extent of her injuries, we were just like,
44:30
well, the amount of movement we put her through, although it was
44:34
very cautious and very calculated, it was.
44:36
Still 1. Wrong move and God knows what
44:39
could have happened. So again, very lucky.
44:41
I mean, as Andy said, gun, but he said you should go and buy a
44:45
lottery ticket. Yeah.
44:46
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, you'd be very lucky.
44:49
Yeah, yeah. We could still do it, so now
44:51
there's 208,000,000. It wasn't something.
44:53
Oh, don't worry. I've got a ticket, don't worry.
44:55
Yeah, Yeah, I'll share. Yeah.
44:56
No, I mean, and, and you know, more power to you.
44:59
That was, yeah, an awesome, awesome rescue.
45:03
But I guess that's what the RNLI do.
45:06
I think the, the the great thing about living in Abersock is the
45:09
fact that so many people are genuinely committed to, to
45:13
making sure that the funds, funds for RNLI are forever there
45:18
wherever they can. Because it is a it's a
45:20
completely voluntary organization, isn't it?
45:23
Yeah. Yeah, it's so.
45:24
No one on our station is paid. I say no one what I mentioned
45:28
Victoria, our station mechanic, he gets a little bit of money,
45:31
but he's he's full time, he's well part time employed.
45:33
He has to make sure everything works for us.
45:35
Yeah, yeah. So.
45:36
There is an element, there's some members of certain crews
45:38
around the country that will be paid or full paid.
45:42
But I have to say for the fundraisers, an amazing group of
45:45
people for us, aren't they? You, you, you talk about your
45:49
dunking, but we do the, they, they organised the New Year's
45:51
Day dip, which was originally thought of by Clive, who's no
45:55
longer with us. But that is a big fundraiser.
45:58
And if you, if you were to speak to anyone, I think from the
46:02
northwest region of the Iron lie about our fundraising committee,
46:06
it's, it's probably up there with the best.
46:09
You know, we've now got Sue and various other people involved,
46:15
too many to mention from, you know, and you don't have to do
46:18
it anymore. I know bucket shakers, but the
46:20
people that are there stood on a street corner not saying a word
46:23
for 8 hours of the day just waiting for someone to put money
46:28
in that pot. And just everything that goes on
46:30
in the background. The organization, the the, the,
46:34
the, the time it must take to organise it, do all the
46:38
financial side of it, make sure everything's in the right place
46:41
at the right time, and they just volunteer their time to do it
46:44
and expect nothing back, No. Well, they do get a lot back,
46:47
you know. Honestly, I'm sure personally
46:50
they do, Yeah, I'm sure. And they love to do it.
46:52
I do. But as a volunteer group,
46:55
amazing what they do, amazing. And again, if anyone needs to
46:58
get involved with that, you come down the stage and we can put
47:00
you in touch with that group of people.
47:02
Or I would say the ducks, so too kind of the dunkers.
47:05
There's quite a few dunkers that are there.
47:08
I know Nigel and Morag are there every Wednesday and, and there's
47:12
there's quite a lot of dunkers and, and the girls even have an
47:15
RNLI bash once a year, which is at the potted, Yeah.
47:20
And that's coming up fairly soon.
47:22
So yeah. Ladies lunch.
47:24
Ladies lunch. That's right.
47:25
Yeah. Yeah.
47:26
So. And what do we gentlemen do?
47:28
Well, we go across the road to the Hub, don't we?
47:30
To the Hub. For a pint, yeah.
47:31
Or two. You got a show willing.
47:33
You got a show willing. So just finally drones and
47:36
filming. You're a droner as well, aren't
47:38
you? A flyer.
47:39
Well, I do play around with a drone a little bit.
47:42
You've. Got some amazing on.
47:44
I am not blowing smoke, but you've I've seen some amazing
47:47
footage of some of the stuff that you've taken.
47:50
Or by accident, obviously. Yeah.
47:51
Absolutely. Yeah.
47:54
I mean, that that shot of Vanessa made me laugh from that
47:56
swim the dunkers did from the islands back in an amazing feat.
48:00
But I was literally playing around.
48:02
I saw something in the water and I thought, what's that?
48:03
And it was a big barrel jellyfish kind of zoomed in on
48:06
it. And then then with anyone's seen
48:08
it. But then Vanessa sort of swims
48:09
in. Yeah.
48:10
Spots. It takes a little bit of a
48:12
course correction and then goes around it.
48:14
Yeah. Yeah, but yeah, I mean, such a
48:17
beautiful spot to live in and that aerial.
48:20
I think when you come to Abersau, you forget the the lay
48:25
of the land, almost how close everything actually is.
48:27
When people talk about a goat to Killam, that's a trip up to
48:29
there. But when you look at it from the
48:31
air and you see how close we are to Porth Nigel, Hell's Mouth,
48:36
it's only just across the way. It is.
48:37
It's a little spit of land. There's nothing.
48:39
We always joke if that if it broke through the sea, broke
48:42
through at Hell's Mouth, Porth, Nigel, all the way through to
48:45
Sangia and to the river. The river saw.
48:47
Yeah. We become an island in a saw.
48:49
Yeah. We could become our own little
48:51
what do you call a principality tax haven.
48:55
Absolutely. Yeah.
48:56
The tax haven, it will. Yeah, I.
48:57
Do I do enjoy the the other aspects it gives you the views
49:01
of the the area, you know, especially looking back towards
49:03
the mountains. I mean, your view here today is
49:05
amazing of the islands and I think it just gives you a
49:08
different perspective of the area, definitely.
49:10
Yeah, it does. We are very lucky, aren't we?
49:13
And and to capture that on the as I say with the drone, that
49:16
particular picture that you you're mentioning, I'll because
49:20
your good lady wife helps do the social media for the Dunkers
49:24
podcast. So I'll ask her if she can
49:26
actually put that on as a detachment because the the sea
49:30
is absolutely turquoise. It's beautiful and you would
49:33
just never think that I don't. Want to put anyone off going in
49:36
the water? But we were out on the water
49:38
last night on the boat with the kids, you know, first nice day
49:41
we've had for a little while. Flat calm, Jink, Clearwater.
49:45
The amount of jellyfish at the moment is.
49:48
Well, we were swim. We honestly were this morning.
49:51
We were swimming in them to the degree that as you were
49:54
swimming, because it was an easterly, he was bringing it in
49:57
and they were just like everywhere.
50:00
So the girl made me laugh. The girls.
50:02
It was only about 9 or 11 of us this morning, but most of the
50:06
girls just sort of group got together in a group as if that's
50:10
as if that's going to protect it safety.
50:12
Numbers, safety numbers, yeah, Yeah, just don't be on the
50:14
outside of the circle, that's all.
50:15
Exactly that, yeah. The circle wasn't quite big
50:18
enough to protect them all. OK, so, Woods, I've just going
50:22
to ask you a couple of extra things.
50:24
The first thing is, if there was anybody, dead or alive, who
50:28
you'd like to surf or dump with, who would it be?
50:34
That's a tricky 1, I guess. One of my surfing idols growing
50:41
up, which is probably several, I'll probably say Luke Egan, he
50:48
was an Australian professional surfer, but he was when I used
50:52
to watch all the videos, you know, to get yourself psyched to
50:55
go surfing, you'd watch a surf either VHS.
50:57
We're talking now, right? Yeah, absolutely.
50:59
I've been to. I'm showing.
51:01
My age, but yeah. And we'd watch them on repeat,
51:04
get psyched up and then go surfing.
51:06
It didn't matter whether it was, you know, onshore chop, you
51:10
know, virtually no way if you'd still go in the water because
51:12
you're so psyched to get in and surf.
51:14
So yeah, I'd say Luke Egan. OK, OK.
51:17
And the question that was left for you by the last person who
51:20
joined Abbas, Dunkers or the Dunkers podcast, is that if
51:24
you've got 3 minutes to live, what would you do?
51:37
Pass Yeah, I'm just going to OK make myself cry in a minute if I
51:41
do that. Give up my kids a hug.
51:44
Good, good. That's great.
51:46
No, no, that's, that's thank you for that.
51:49
And I'm, I'm sorry if it was a bit interrogative, but I was
51:54
asked to ask and it's, it's, it's a great answer.
51:57
It's. Weird.
51:57
I get emotion about the weirdest things.
51:58
But yeah, and not the weirdest things, don't get me wrong, But
52:01
I don't I get an emotion about the weirdest thing.
52:03
But yeah, I'd give my close family all the hug before I
52:05
went. I'll say once again, Many thanks
52:09
indeed for for being with us. And I'll take your question off
52:13
air and make the dunker's spirit go with you.
52:16
Thank. You.