Boy, 13, thanks RNLI crew who saved his life after becoming trapped by rising tides off Weston

A 13-year-old boy has recalled the moment a lifeboat crew saved him and a friend as fast-rising tides left them stranded on rocks.

The pair were found in the dark clinging to a cliff near Weston-super-Mare after an adventure turned into an emergency at around 5:00pm on Sunday 12 November.

The RNLI say it's another reminder of the dangers of the Bristol Channel.

"Me and my friend were just adventuring along the rocks and on our way back the tide started coming in on us," said Tommy Caven, who lives in the town. "It was quite scarey because I didn't know if we were going to make it or not. I didn't know how fast it was going to rise up to the rocks." But Tommy had a mobile with charge and a signal, meaning he was able to call the emergency services. Within minutes, Weston's RNLI had been scrambled and a rescue mission was underway.

With light at a premium, the boys had to feel their way to the boat before climbing aboard, cold and frightened but safe.The young pair were rescued from near the derelict Birnbeck Pier, where tides race in quicker than most realise possible. The RNLI's Heather Simpson, who was on duty that night, explained: "People should always check the tide times. The high tidal ranges are notorious here and people do get caught out.

"People should always tell others where they are going. Take a mobile phone with you and if you do get into difficulty there's nothing wrong in calling for help and getting people to give you a hand."Tommy's quick thinking in making the 999 call has been praised by the crew and his relieved mum, who was at home looking after her younger children at the time."It was terrifying," said Ann-Marie Tucker. "I had a call from the police operator saying your son has called us and they couldn't locate him. They asked where he likes to hang out. I was calling Tommy the whole time and I thought 'is that it'?"