Divers rescued off Winterton-on-Sea have described the dramatic moment their sinking boat began to take on water.
Six friends were wreck diving off the east coast on Sunday when the conditions turned and cut short their trip. On the way back to shore, the rigid inflatable boat (Rib) Thetford Diver struck something - possibly a buoy or a lobster pot marker, which forced them into head-on waves. The crashing waves tore a hole in the Rib and within minutes water was pouring in.
The divers, who had set off from Sea Palling at about 10am, were about eight miles out when they sent out a mayday distress call. Half an hour later, they were being rescued by lifeboat crews from Caister and Happisburgh. Hemsby's inshore lifeboat was also called and the RAF helicopter flew overhead.
Experienced diver Trevor Durrant, who was out with fellow divers from Great Yarmouth and Hertfordshire, said they were lucky Caister's independent crew was holding a fundraising day on the beach that day and were able to launch within minutes of getting the call.
'It wasn't a nice sea out there so we were very fortunate that crews could respond so quickly,' said Mr Durrant, 52, a builder from Thetford.
'We'd had a great dive but decided to come back as the conditions were getting bad; the waves were reaching 3ft high.
'The sea and the wind were following us which is never good. And then we hit something submerged and we smacked straight in the waves. It ripped the rib from the hull. Within seconds the water was up to our knees,
'We didn't have much time to think. The radio was going under water. We put a mayday out and Humber coastguard got everyone out as quickly as they could.
'We regard the sea is our playground but it's a dangerous playground. I'm thankful we've got guys like the Caister crew who give up their time to patrol it.'
The divers were brought back to shore by the Caister and Happisburgh independent lifeboats. Paul Garrod, chairman of Caister Inshore Rescue Service, said six lives were saved that day.
The crew was half way through it's annual funday when the coastguard call came through - giving thousands of people n the beach to see the boats in action, not just on display.
'I don't think we've ever had 2,000 people giving us a round of applause like that before,' said Mr Garrod.
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