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CloseWells Beach
Safety Warning!
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.
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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.
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
Open 10am-4pm daily most days!
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.
Recent Services
07:53
Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind WNW3 Sea Slight
15.59
The Inshore Lifeboat transferred its diver to the Zero but it was considered best for the second diver to remain onboard the all-weather lifeboat as it had become apparent that the dive boat would be unable to repair its engine and proceed back to harbour itself. On grounds of safety, the decision was taken to pass a tow line from the ALB and slowly tow the dive boat back to its regular berth at Wells town quay. Both Lifeboats left the scene at 16:55 and proceeded in unison back to Wells Harbour. Before the harbour entrance the tow was shortened up and the dive boat was bought alongside the ALB for the final part of the journey to the town pontoons. The ILB crew assisted by securing the dive vessel alongside the town pontoons. The dive boat was safely moored at 18:33. With the second diver returned to the dive boat and all being well, both lifeboats departed and returned to station and were rehoused, refuelled and ready again for service at 19:45.
Weather Part cloudy Visibility Good Wind SSW5 Sea Slight
14.59
Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind NNE3 Sea Slight
12.33
Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind NW3 Sea Slight
12.33
Weather Fine Visibility Good Wind NW3 Sea Slight
21:29
Weather Cloudy Visibility Good Wind ESE2 Sea Slight
20:53
Weather Cloudy Visibility Good Wind ESE2 Sea Slight
05:44
Weather Part cloudy Visibility Good Wind SSE2 Sea Slight
11:48
Weather Part cloudy Visibility Good Wind W4 Sea Smooth
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
Open 10am-4pm daily most days!
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.
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 12 Jul 2026 16:30
Annual Lifeboat Service
Thursday 30 Jul 2026 18:30
Regular exercise
Sunday 16 Aug 2026 08:30
Regular exercise
Thursday 27 Aug 2026 18:30
Regular exercise
Sunday 13 Sep 2026 08:30
Regular exercise
Sunday 27 Sep 2026 08:30
Regular exercise
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This website is run and managed by local volunteers at Wells-next-the-Sea lifeboat station and is not owned or operated by the RNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity, registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736).
All text and images copyright (C)2000-2026 RNLI Wells Lifeboat Station or as otherwise indicated, and may not be downloaded, copied or reproduced elsewhere
without prior permission of the station or the relevant copyright holder.
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