THE dramatic rescue of a man from the Teign estuary has again highlighted the importance of wearing a lifejacket.

Tim Black, 48, was close to exhaustion and being swept out to sea after his dinghy sank and he was thrown into the river off Shaldon and swept out towards the sea.

He was not wearing a lifejacket, but managed to cling to a mooring buoy for about 40 minutes, and was pulled from the river by a coastguard.

The incident prompted Tony Watson, the Teignmouth lifeboat safety officer, to comment: 'There have been some near fatalities this year, which have prompted the lifeboat crew to shake their heads with amazement at the lack of respect for the water.

'The sea may look inviting and calm, but make a mistake and your life is at risk.'

He said: 'There was an incident at Shaldon Water Carnival where a boat owner fell in the water wearing a duffle coat, and no lifejacket. He was recovered by the lifeboat.

'Earlier this year, all the occupants of a boat were thrown into the water. The lifeguard supervisor, Rory Smith, was amazed to see inflated lifejackets bulging from the lockers, still in their packets. What is the point of buying them, and not wearing them?

'Last week, Adam Truhol at the helm of the lifeboat heading back after an alert, took time out to speak to four anglers on a small rowing boat. They had several cans of beer, no lifejackets, and were only about ten to 12 inches above the water line – a disaster waiting to happen.'

Mr Watson continued: 'Further up the Teign, a fisherman had his chest high waders fill with water, and only his lifejacket saved him from being totally submerged before the lifeboat could reach him. Lifejackets that automatically turn you on your back, also gives the lifeboat extra time to reach you. '

Mr Watson wondered what stopped boat users wearing lifejackets. It could be the 'it won't happen to me' syndrome; 'a lifejacket gets in the way'; 'my mates don't wear one', or even 'I don't look good in one'.

But he emphasised that modern types were easy to wear and comfortable.

Mike Schooling, RNLI launch operations manager at Teignmouth, said it took five to seven minutes to launch the boat and it was vital the casualty's air ways were kept clear, especially if they were knocked unconscious.

'This can only be achieved successfully if they are wearing an automatically inflating lifejacket,' he said.