Seaton beach hero describes 12ft waves and current 'pulling your legs' as he saved boy

Дата публикации: 15-07-2026 14:19:00

Craig Wiltshire entered the treacherous sea in a joint rescue effort he described as 'phenomenal' :: The events claimed the life of Wayne Taylor and Ian Pascoe

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Craig Wiltshire entered the treacherous sea in a joint rescue effort he described as 'phenomenal' :: The events claimed the life of Wayne Taylor and Ian Pascoe

A brave Army veteran has described the severe conditions he and a team of rescuers faced as they saved a young boy at Seaton Carew. Craig Wiltshire, 50, was among those who risked their lives on Sunday, July 12, trying to save two youngsters.

As reported, two men died in the tragedy at the popular coastal spot.

Father-of-two Craig ran into the sea with another man, Davey Short, 48, after seeing one of the children around 100 metres out. He told how, at one point, he feared he would also not make it, as 12ft waves crashed over him and currents dragged his exhausted body out to sea.

"If you imagine, we were trying to jump the waves but it was going over our heads," the 50-year-old told Teesside Live. "And it's kind of like, imagine your feet are under the water and there's a man pulling your legs, being pulled out and out and out.

"You have to try and anchor your heels into the sands but with the waves coming it was impossible to do that. I think it was a riptide - the way it happened. I never knew much about them but obviously I've been studying them since.

"I was thinking in my brain - how can two men who are quite obviously fit people, go out and get killed that quickly? And how on earth did the kids survive?"

Tragic heroes Wayne Taylor and Ian Pascoe had first entered the North Sea to help Wayne's two children, who were in difficulty in the water. The men were later recovered from the water by the RNLI and despite urgent medical treatment, both were sadly declared dead shortly afterwards.

Craig had been walking his dogs with his wife Cheryl when they saw a commotion on the beach. The eldest boy had been rescued at that point but the youngest was still out at sea.

The boy's mum had already called 999 and was "frantic" on the shore. It was clear the two men in the sea had already died, said Craig.

Describing the rescue, Craig said: "The first boy had been rescued - there was a lady who had gone in and got the older boy out but she was so knackered she couldn't go back in again," he said. "I rang 999 and explained and they said somebody is on the way but don't go in the water."

Davey, from Bishop Auckland, had also been taking a stroll along the beach when he rushed to help. "I would say when we got there the boy must have been about 100 metres out," said Craig.

"The way it developed for me was Davey went in and I went in straight after him. I pulled him out the first time because it was just too rough.

"We waited a little while and Davey said, 'I can't watch that kid drown'. So we said we really need to go in together.

"We got in about 20 metres and the waves were that bad you just couldn't go any further. The boy saw us coming out to him and started to swim to us. We were screaming 'swim, swim, swim'.

"At the same point, I think the tide had started to turn as he started to drift back towards the shore. I think he must have seen us and thought I'm going to go for it.

"He was swimming for his life that kid was, I've never seen anything like it. He swam his heart out, the kid, honestly I've never seen anything like it."

By that point, Craig said the treacherous conditions in the sea were starting to overwhelm him. "I can't speak for Davey but I was beginning to struggle," he said.

Another man named Andy, then appeared in the sea, he said. He had asked Cheryl, 55, what was happening and she had explained Craig and Davey were trying to save the boy.

"That man ran in and he was like a bolt of the blue," said Craig. "He got past us and just as the kid was coming to us he managed to get hold of him.

"But he grabbed hold of me as well because he could see I was beginning to struggle a bit. Andy went in there without thinking anything for himself. I had hold of Andy's massive shoulder and then managed to walk out."

Cleveland Police is continuing to carry out enquiries on behalf of the coroner to establish the circumstances of the tragedy. Officers attended the heartbreaking scene, along with the RNLI, the North East Ambulance Service and the Great North Air Ambulance.

"The police came first and we were pointing out where the bodies were," said Craig. "The boat came and picked up the bodies and then about ten minutes later the helicopter came."

Born in Saltburn, Craig moved to Wales with his family when he was a boy. He married Cheryl and served in the Royal Artillery. When their two boys left home, the couple decided to move to the North East and settled in Willington in Crook. Craig now runs his own business, training electricians.

He explained they had intended to visit Seaham that day, so it was a twist of fate that they drove instead to Seaton Carew. "Ironically we were meant to go to Seaham but my wife had a bit of brain fog and she accidentally put Seaton Carew in the Sat Nav," he said. "Three quarters of the way we though ah well, we'll just go there now."

Since the tragedy, Craig said he has been supported by family and friends. "I'm an Army veteran so I've dealt with trauma," he said. "So I can recognise it and know what to do. But I've had tremendous support from my family. The boy's mum sent me a message saying thank you for rescuing my boy. I read that and burst in tears.

"As tragic as it was it was a beautiful thing that the children got out. Where my head is at is there was a team of people who have never met before, came together and managed to do that and I think that's incredible.

"It was a team of strangers who came together. It was phenomenal really."

Emergency services remained at the scene on Monday after Sunday's tragedy and floral tributes have been left near the beach. More than £8,700 has been raised to support Mr Taylor's family and will help towards funeral costs and supporting the children.

Since the tragedy, more than 3,000 people have signed a petition calling for more lifeguards at the popular Seaton Carew beach. It was launched by the childhood best friend of Jordan Moon, who was eight years old when he was swept out to sea by a freak wave 23 years ago.

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