A 15-year-old boy has rescued two men who fell from an inflatable toy boat off the Isle of Skye in Scotland, after spotting them drifting in Broadford Bay and taking his own boat out to help.
The incident happened shortly after 9pm on Saturday (20 June 2026), when the UK coastguard received reports of two men in difficulty in the water after falling from a blow-up inflatable boat. The RNLI crew from Kyle of Lochalsh launched a lifeboat within ten minutes and headed towards the area where the men were last seen.
By the time the lifeboat crew reached the location, local teenager Archie Law had already spotted the pair from shore, gone out in his own vessel and brought them safely back to land.
The RNLI checked that everyone involved was safe and that there were no injuries before returning to station. The crew later praised Law for acting quickly and helping to prevent the situation from becoming more serious.
Law told STV News: “I went down to the shore and had my binoculars and realised they were paddling and going round in circles.
“I thought maybe I need to do something here. So I talked to my mum and we made the decision that it wasn’t too bad a night to go out. The tide was in and I was in my boat, so I went out to see if they needed any help.
“I’m out there every day pretty much, and at the weekends I help out fishing boats.”
Law said the two men did not appear to understand how dangerous their situation had become.
“I don’t think they realised the severity of the situation,” he added. “There was water in their dinghy, the water was up to their heads, their clothes were wet, and they didn’t have swimming stuff on.
“They had no life jackets or phones. I was pretty shocked. I didn’t believe that when I got there. They were glad to see me. They could have drowned. It could have been very serious.”
Law said he first noticed the men from his house before deciding to go and check on them.
Speaking to Radio Skye, Law adds: “I made a decision to go and check if they were OK. As I got closer I could see it was a small kids’ dinghy.
“They seemed very cold and tired and thankful I had spotted them. I got them back to the wee pier and they were met with towels and warm clothes.”
Law’s mother, Tansy, tells STV that she watched the rescue from shore. “I was watching him through binoculars, and I couldn’t quite believe what was happening, but I was very pleased when he phoned to say he got them safely to the shore.”
After the rescue, Law said he had received many messages about the incident and that the experience had encouraged him to consider joining the RNLI.
“I actually saved two people’s lives. It feels really good, it makes me want to join the RNLI.”
In a statement shared with Scottish media including The National, Andrew MacDonald, helm at Kyle RNLI, said Law’s actions had helped avoid a more serious outcome.
“Thanks to the quick thinking of the teenager going out in his own boat to rescue the two casualties, a far more serious situation was averted,” he says.
“We’d like to remind people that blow-up inflatable toys should be kept for use in swimming pools and not open water, and to always ensure that you have lifejackets on and a means of communicating to the emergency services if you get into any difficulty.”
The post ‘I need to do something here’: Teenager rescues two men from inflatable boat off Isle of Skye appeared first on Marine Industry News.