Wells Lifeboat RNLI Lifeboats Wells Norfolk UK
Wells Lifeboat
Home
About RNLI Wells
News
Events
Services
The Boats
The Crew
The Guild
Visits
History
Photos
Sea Safety
Links
Credits
Contact us

Wells Beach
Safety Warning!

Wells Beach Safety leaflet

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 four hours before the time of the next high water, when the siren sounds or if you see the water start to flow into the harbour or start covering the beach. 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 and on the toilet block in the car park.

3D Tour

3D virtual tour of the new Wells Lifeboat Station

Explore the new boathouse and Shannon lifeboat

Launch A Memory Wells
 

Facebook
Find us
on Facebook

Instagram
Wells Lifeboat is now
on Instagram too!

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.

Cut off on Stiffkey marshes

The inshore lifeboat goes to rescue people cut off by a large spring tide on Stiffkey marshes, 30 March 2025

Shop Opening Times


The shop is open!

Shop and viewing gallery open 10-4 Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays

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.

Wells Beach Safety Warning!

People on the sands 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 affects people walking along the foreshore from Holkham beach and 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 four hours before the time of the next high water, when the siren sounds or if you see water flowing into the harbour or starting to cover the beach. See our Sea Saftey Advice page for more information and tide times.

3D Tour

3D virtual tour of the new Wells Lifeboat Station

Explore the new boathouse and Shannon lifeboat

Recent Services

24 August 2025
12:59

Humber Coastguard contacted Wells launch authority at 12:50 following a report from a warden on Blakeney Point of an object in the sea off Blakeney harbour. The warden and local coastguards had been unable to identify what the object was and there was sufficient concern about its prescence and possible casualties that it was decided to launch the inshore lifeboat to investigate. The ILB with a crew of three launched at the low water launch site on Holkham beach at 13:24 and proceeded to Blakeney to find the object attached to an anchored fishing buoy in the harbour approaches. Coming alongside at 13:37, the crew quickly ascertained that the object was a capsized and inverted 4m hovercraft which the crew then managed to right in order to check for casualties and investigate further. It was decided the best course of action was to bring the vessel in and at 14:20, it was taken in tow towards to Wells. At 15:50, the ILB with hovercraft in tow were off the harbour entrance, waiting for the first of the flood tide before they could enter the harbour. In the interim, it had been established that the hovercraft was one of several similar vessels taking part in a fund-raising event. It had got into difficulties off Blakeney and had been made fast to the fishing mark with the help of a local fisherman and then left for later recovery. Its crew were all accounted for and safe. The tide had risen sufficently by 17:00 that the ILB and tow could proceed into harbour and the hovercraft was landed and passed into the care of a representative of a local hovecraft association at 17:25. The ILB was recovered at 17:30 and was rehoused and ready again for service by 18:15.

Weather Part cloudy Visibility Good Wind NE3 Sea Smooth

14 August 2025
21:30

Wells inshore lifeboat was diverted from a Thursday evening training exercise, where it had been working with Hunstanton Lifeboat, after the Wells Harbour Master contacted the boathouse with concerns for a single-handed 26' yacht Cavatina which was out of fuel in Holkham Bay and had not made its way into Wells as scheduled. The ILB closed with the yacht at 21:40 and found it dragging its anchor and the skipper severely fatigued. After discussion with Humber Coastguard, it was agreed that the ILB should bring the yacht into harbour. With a crew member placed on-board to haul up the anchor and rig a tow, the vessels set off for the harbour entrance at 21:44. The yacht was safely moored in the outer harbour at 22:15 and the ILB went ashore and was recovered and rehoused by 22:50.

Weather Overcast Visibility Good Wind W3 Sea Slight

4 August 2025
02:07

Wells lifeboat was paged at 02:07 to a 22' yacht Sea Dreamer with one person onboard that had run aground on the bar whilst entering Wells Harbour in the dark. The yacht had damaged its rudder in the grounding but was able to refloat itself. The skipper had managed to anchor the yacht but it was riding very uncomfortably causing him sufficient concern to put out a Mayday. Wells Lifeboat launched at 02:32, near high water on a neap tide, and proceeded towards the yacht whose masthead light could be seen from the boathouse. Arriving at 02:48, the lifeboat placed a crew member on-board to asses the situation and rig a tow. With the tow ready by 02:58, the lifeboat brought the yacht into the harbour. The yacht's rudder was jammed hard over which necessitated shortening the tow and then bringing the vessel alongside the lifeboat to be able to manoeuvre safely in the confines of the channel. At 03:22 the yacht was safely moored alongside a visiting vessel in the outer harbour. The lifeboat was recovered to the north of the boathouse at 03:38 and was washed down and refuelled by 04:45.

Weather Overcast Visibility Good Wind W3 Sea Slight

2 August 2025
19:46

Humber Coastguard paged for an immediate launch of the inshore lifeboat after the police contacted them to advise that there may be a person in trouble in the water near the lifeboat station following a truncated and unclear 999 conversation. With no-one in obvious difficulty on arriving at the station, the crew, along with local coastguards and police, conducted a thorough visual search of the area. It was soon established that a young girl had dropped her smartphone in the water which had initiated an automatic SOS call and that she was crying and alarmed when the police had tried to speak to her but had been and still was safely with her family on the foreshore. The launch was cancelled and the crew stood down at 20:06.
31 July 2025
11:43

The all-weather lifeboat was paged to assist a 41' motor boat Sache M that had left Boston earlier and got into difficulties off Weybourne while on passage round the coast. The motor boat with two persons onboard had lost steering and was experiencing propulsion issues and struggling to make any headway in challenging sea conditions. Wells Lifeboat launched from the north slipway at 11:56 and proceeded east towards the cruisier. The windfarm support vessel Eden Rose had responded to the call for assistance and stood by the cruiser until the lifeboat arrived at 12:50. Given the situation, a tow rope was attached at 13:00 and, taking into account the tide and weather conditions, the best course of action was to proceed eastward towards the safety of Lowestoft harbour. Following a discussion with Humber Coastguard, Caister Lifeboat agreed to launch to rendezvous with Wells and take over the tow for the remaining passage to Lowestoft. At 13:50 the tow was successfully passed to the Caister Lifeboat and Wells Lifeboat was then released to return to Holkham Bay for a low water recovery. The lifeboat came ashore at 15:40 and was recovered, refuelled and ready again for service at 17:30.

Weather Part cloudy Visibility Good Wind N2 Sea Slight

30 July 2025
13:17

Humber Coastguard paged for an immediate launch of the inshore lifeboat to a swimmer in difficulty off the beach to the west of Holkham Gap. The ILB launched from the north ramp at 13:25 and proceeded to Holkham beach. At 13:38 a lifeguard reported that the person had managed to get back to the beach and at 13:44 the ILB located the swimmer and his family and double checked that all was well. The man's two young sons had got into difficulty while swimming and he had managed to get them both ashore but had himself been caught in the outgoing tide. With no further assistance needed, the ILB returned to the boathouse to be rehoused and refuelled at 14:02.

Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind W2 Sea Slight

25 July 2025
20:41


Humber Coastguard contacted the station regarding a 20' motor vessel in difficulty with engine failure near the harbour entrance. Due to the scant initial information, it was decided to page both lifeboats. On arrival at the boathouse, the casualty vessel could be seen now aground on the bar to the north of Bob Hall sands, with the Wells harbour master's launch in attendance. The inshore lifeboat was quickly launched at 20:54 to investigate and be able to reach the casualty with the all-weather lifeboat straight afterwards at 20:59 to provide assistance as needed. Arriving on-scene, it was clear that the casualty vessel, a steel former work boat approximately 20-24', with four persons on-board was firmly aground, having lost engine power and drifted onto the sands, and the harbour launch was unable to get in close enough in the shallow water to give assistance. With it being after high water and impractical to attempt to tow the vessel off, the ILB went alongside and took the crew off, transferring them to the all-weather lifeboat. The all-weather lifeboat then took the casualty crew up to Wells quay while the ILB picked up and laid out an anchor on the casualty vessel to prevent it drifting off or being pushed further ashore. Both boats then returned to the boathouse to be rehoused and made ready again for service by 22:59. The casualty vessel was subsequently recovered on the following morning tide by the harbour authority.

Weather Part cloudy Visibility Good Wind SW2 Sea Slight

Latest News

Dangerous sands to the west of Wells harbour entrance

Mon 12 May 2025

In the last few years it has become dangerous to walk right out onto the sands by Wells harbour entrance channel at low tide, either from the main beach and beach huts down the side of the harbour channel or along the foreshore and edge of the sea from Holkham beach. While it looks tempting, there is a series of undulating sandbars and when the tide returns, it will fill the low lying areas and drains from both ends before covering the sandbars, If you're standing out just to the west of the harbour entrance, the sea will come in behind you and you'll find yourself trapped on an island of sand that will soon be covered entirely.

In this new video, our sea safety officer walks out by the harbour channel as the tide comes in and is rapidly surrounded by water.

Our inshore lifeboat has been called to people trapped here 6 times already this year.

To avoid the risk, stay away from this area or make sure you come back to the main beach four hours before high water, if you hear the siren sound or see the tide flowing into the harbour. Check the time of the next high tide in Wells on a tide table, on the sign on the Coastwatch lookout or on an app before venturing out... and take four hours off this time as the time you need to be safely back on the main beach.

  See our local sea safety pages for more advice and information

See all news...

The shop is open!

Shop and viewing gallery open 10-4 Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays

Shop Opening Times

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.

Cut off on Stiffkey marshes

The inshore lifeboat goes to rescue people cut off by a large spring tide on Stiffkey marshes, 30 March 2025

RNLI 200

The RNLI celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024, a milestone marked nationally and by lifeboat crews and stations around the UK.
Wells RNLI 200th Lifeboat Horse scuplture
Lifeboat Horse marking 200 years in the quay

Shannon lifeboat
and boathouse build

New 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 24 Aug 2025 19:00
Annual Lifeboat Service

Wednesday 10 Sep 2025 15:30
ALB low water launch for survey

Sunday 28 Sep 2025 08:30
Regular exercise

Launch A Memory Wells
 

Facebook
Find us on Facebook

Instagram
Wells Lifeboat is now
on Instagram too!

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