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The sands to the west of Wells harbour entrance now quickly get cut off by the incoming tide.
Make sure you are back on dry land or the main beach FOUR HOURS BEFORE high water!
People walking out on the sands by the water's edge to the west of Wells harbour entrance at low water can easily be cut off when the tide starts to come in. This particularly catches out people walking along the foreshore from Holkham beach or those walking right out across the sand down the side of the harbour channel from Wells beach.
Make sure you come back to the main beach when the siren sounds, the water starts to flow into the harbour or four hours before the time of the next high water! See our Sea Saftey Advice page for more information and tide times. Tide times are also displayed on the NCI Coastwatch Hut as you come onto Wells beach from the beach bank or car park.
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Welcome to RNLI Wells
The RNLI Lifeboat Station in Wells-next-the-Sea houses an all-weather lifeboat and an inshore lifeboat to save lives and assist with emergencies around Wells and off the North Norfolk coast. Manned by volunteer crews, the boats are ready to launch within minutes, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. This website will tell you more about the station and give you a taste of what we do and the traditions of the lifeboat service.
Shop Opening Times
Shop and viewing gallery open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, 11-3 in January and February
Our shop and viewing platform are normally open Fridays-Mondays from 10-4 plus additional days in the holidays and whenever we can (see above for latest info). In good weather, the main boathouse door may be open so you can view the all-weather lifeboat from the front.
Safety Warning!
A new sandbar means people near the water's edge to the west of Wells harbour entrance at low water can easily be cut off when the tide starts to come in. This particularly effects people walking along the foreshore from Holkham beach or those walking right out across the sand down the side of the harbour channel from Wells beach. Make sure you come back to the main beach when the siren sounds, the water starts to flow into the channel or four hours before the time of the next high water! See our Sea Saftey Advice page for more information and tide times.
Recent Services
14:33
Humber Coastguard paged the inshore lifeboat which launched with a crew of three at 14:42 and proceeded towards the reported position of the dog. By this time the dog had attempted to swim across the low way to the beach but had got into difficulties and the owner had entered the water again to bring the dog to safety. As the ILB arrived on scene at 14:46, the owner had managed to bring the dog to the shore but it was suffering from cold and water intake and had lost consciousness and stopped breathing. The owner and the dog were quickly put onboard the lifeboat and the crew started to provide CPR to the dog. The lifeboat was ashore at 14:55 and the dog was transferred to the boathouse crew room. Once in the warm the dog responded positively to the crew's resuscitation efforts and thankfully recovered well and was subsequently checked out by one of the crew who has been a veterinary practitioner.
The inshore lifeboat was rehoused, refuelled and ready again for service at 16:00 and the party and dog returned home.
Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind W1 Sea Slight
14:04
Weather Fog Visibility Poor Wind W1 Sea Slight
12:28
Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind SW2 Sea Slight
18:10
Weather Overcast Visibility Moderate Wind S2 Sea Slight
Latest News
Sheila Warner MBE
Wed 1 Jan 2025
We're delighted and proud to learn that Sheila Warner has been awarded an MBE for her 65 years of service to Wells RNLI and the Wells RNLI Lifeboat Guild. Sheila first joined the RNLI in 1969 where her husband Sonnie Warner was on the crew. She was a founding member of what was then the Wells-next the-Sea Ladies Lifeboat Guild and is is currently Vice Chair of the Guild as well as a valued member of the volunteer visits team showing people around the new lifeboat station and sharing her passion for and extensive knowledge of Wells and the lifeboat services.
Her husband Sonnie was originally crew on the Cromer lifeboat from 1958 to 1963 and then on the Wells boat for 29 years, stepping ashore and serving as shore crew from 1992 to 1998 and serving as a committee member until 2004.
Sheila has organised and assisted with countless station open days, carol services, spring fairs, Christmas stalls and appeals which have raised more than £500,000 over the last 10 years alone. She has also worked tirelessly to ensure the heritage of Wells Lifeboat Station is protected for future generations, cataloguing historic artefacts, many of which are on display today.
Sheila said: ‘I’ve really enjoyed my time with the RNLI, especially after my husband died it really became a lifeline. It is down to the Guild that I have kept on, we have all helped one another and I thank them most sincerely for all the help they have given me over the years.’
Also honoured by the King for their contribution to the charity and their communities in the New Year's Honours List were voliunteers from Douglas, Invergordon, Kirkwall, Looe and Red Bay stations and Aberdour RNLI committee.
Shop Opening Times
Shop and viewing gallery open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, 11-3 in January and February
Our shop and viewing gallery are normally open weekends from Friday to Monday 10-4 along with extra days in the holidays and whenever we can. In good weather, the main boathouse doors may also be open to view the all-weather lifeboat from the front. See our visits page for more information.
RNLI 200
The RNLI celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024, a milestone marked nationally and by lifeboat crews and stations
around the UK.
Lifeboat Horse marking 200 years in the quay
Shannon lifeboat
and boathouse build
Wells RNLI is now operating from the new building. See the boathouse build pages for the story of how the new station was built.
Our new Shannon lifeboat was funded in part with a station appeal for £250,000 in 2014-15 and also by the Civil Service charity The Lifeboat Fund with its 150th Anniversary Appeal. We are hugely grateful to everyone who has donated, fund-raised, helped and supported us both locally and across the UK and further afield.
Exercise Launches
You are welcome to watch the lifeboats launch on exercise from a safe distance on the beach bank or beach; please keep clear of the boats and launching vehicles and keep children and dogs under supervision. Exercises are roughly every two weeks and we try to post dates and times in advance when we can. All dates are subject to change or cancellation at short notice for operational reasons.
Sunday 5 Jan 2025 09:00
Regular exercise
Sunday 26 Jan 2025 09:00
LW launch
Sunday 16 Feb 2025 08:30
Regular exercise
Thursday 27 Feb 2025 18:00
Regular exercise
Thursday 13 Mar 2025 18:00
Regular exercise
Sunday 23 Mar 2025 09:00
Regular exercise
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The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity, registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). This website is managed and maintained by local volunteers at Wells-next-the-Sea Lifeboat Station and is not the main RNLI site. All text and images copyright (C)2005-2021 RNLI Wells Lifeboat Station, or as indicated, and may not be downloaded, copied or reproduced elsewhere without prior permission of the station or the relevant copyright holder. Site Manager