Coastguard: Every Second Counts

In the first episode, Totland Bay in the Isle of Wight is the scene of a dangerous boating accident which has left three passengers with serious injuries. Lead investigator Mark Cam of the MCA's Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team (RCIT) examines the incident and to investigate why this near fatal disaster happened. What ensues is a near 18-month investigation with RCIT seeking criminal charges toward the skipper and ultimately, justice for the unfortunate passengers on board.

An 85-year-old woman calls the emergency services as she hangs on for dear life, while treacherous waves crash against her in Llanaber, North Wales. As she clings onto the rocks of the beach's sea defenses, panicked that she can't hold on for much longer, the phone line is disconnected. With little time to waste, the Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (MRCC) tasks Barmouth Coastguard Rescue Team, as well as Rescue Helicopter 936 from Caernarfon, to search along the coastline. Rescue 936 find it difficult to locate the casualty and MRCC aren't able to make contact, as time is of the essence during this nerve shredding search.

At Bassets Cove in Cornwall, passers-by call for help as they've noticed a couple who have been stranded on a rock cut off by the tide, on the formidable Cornish coastline. Portreath and St. Agnes Coastguard Rescue Teams (CRT) as well as St. Ives Lifeboat are tasked to the location but no one can get a visual of the couple. It seems the powerful swell has knocked them off the rock and propelled them into a cave. With a risk to life for all involved and sea conditions getting worse, two Coastguard Rescue Helicopter teams along with the CRTs will be involved in one of the most dramatic and dangerous missions in recent memory.

A distress call from a satellite phone comes in from the uninhabitable granite islet Rockall. The casualty was out raising money for charity when the weather turned for the worse and became a threat to his life. Approximately 240 nautical miles away in Stornoway, Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 948 is the only option with the capability to help save the casualty, even though the tasking is just outside their operational remit. So time and fuel are the key factors to everyone's survival.

MCA Surveyor Chris receives two complaints about a foreign registered ship, currently docked in Teesport. Initial reports state a dangerous gangway that is an unsafe means of access for crew members. This can lead to serious injury and in some cases, loss of life. On arrival to inspect the vessel, Chris not only spots the hazardous gangway but a host of other issues which could mean detention of the vessel.

In Aberdaron, north Wales, an onlooker spots a dog down the side of a cliff, with no sign of the owner. Aeronautical Rescue are alerted by the Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre as they fear the owner of the animal may have fallen down the cliff. Rescue Helicopter 936, as well as Aberdaron Coastguard Rescue Team are both tasked with a search for a possible missing person and to rescue the marooned dog.

Five people are stranded down Trevone round hole in Cornwall with Newquay and Padstow Coastguard Rescue Teams (CRTs) tasked to help the isolated casualties. The 80 foot blow hole is linked to the sea and can easily flood when the tide comes in, so the CRTs waste no time in setting up their kit for a technical rope rescue as they'll need to send a cliff technician down the hole to save the casualties.

The Coastguard Rescue helicopter crew from Newquay fly 60 miles into the English Channel as they are tasked to an incident on a cruise liner, where a passenger is having a suspected stroke. With the cruise liner trucking along, the helicopter flies alongside the vessel and successfully winches down the Coastguard Paramedic. With no time to waste the casualty is winched up on a gurney, along with his wife, as it's a race against time to get the individual to hospital for urgent medical care.

The Survey and Inspection team are investigating a collision between a fishing vessel and a passenger ferry in East Loch Tarbert, Scotland. The skipper of the fishing vessel has reported that his boat has been damaged by the ferry, which is resulting in a serious loss of income. Surveyor Bill visits both parties to investigate how and why this collision occurred.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Holyhead receive a mayday call from a beach warden at Barmouth, north Wales about a one-yea- old baby who is unconscious. The team leader must act fast as the limited information they've received is incredibly worrying. With fresh reports coming in that the baby is having seizures, and on the ground medical assistance is at least 40 minutes away, the MRCC request to task Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 936 as there's no time to waste.

With one of the worst winter storms recorded in recent memory, Storm Babet rips through parts of the UK. With mass flooding in Brechin, Scotland, the MCA deploys specialist flood teams to rescue residents from potentially fatal conditions and help one local whose home has been destroyed and is close to losing her beloved pets.

The interception of a drug boat leads to a dangerous situation, as the DASH-8 attempts to rescue two fishermen.