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The Coastguard is responsible for the safety of the UK’s coastal waters.
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It's their job to try and stop accidents from happening, and to get help sent to people if they do.
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There are Coastguards working in the Coastguard Stations 24 hours a day.
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They use high-tech equipment to monitor the sea and coast, looking and listening out for problems.
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They also organise rescues at sea. If a ship gets into difficulties in bad weather they will send out lifeboats and rescue helicopters.
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The Coastguard rescue officers who help people that get into difficulties at sea or along the coast are all volunteers.
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They are trained to rescue people from all sorts of dangerous situations that could occur around the coast, like getting trapped on cliffs.
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They also have special equipment so they can travel safely over deep mud to save people who have become stuck.
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Coastguard Rescue officers often have to search the shoreline for missing people.
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Sometimes a rescue from the sea, or somewhere difficult to get to, means calling out a rescue helicopter
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The Coastguard also helps to prevent pollution from ships at sea, and clean up the coast after accidents.
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The Coastguard is contacted whenever divers recover valuable or interesting things from a shipwreck.
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Be Sea Smart and learn how to be safe before you go to the beach. In an emergency at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
