Paddle boarder and her pet Chihuahua rescued by Hartlepool Lifeboat crew after being blown out to sea

Personal assistant Nikki, 33, had a day off work and had decided to go paddle boarding with Remy for a bit of “relaxation and me time”. Nikki has done quite a lot of paddle boarding with friends although this was the first time she had ventured out by herself.

However, what she hoped would be a relaxing paddle quickly turned to panic as strengthening winds pushed her further out to sea and, “completely exhausted”, she realised she couldn’t paddle back to shore.

Nikki, who lives in Billingham, said: “When I set off at 8.30am this morning, conditions were bright and calm. However, as I got further out to sea the wind began to really pick up. I tried to paddle back to shore but it was so tiring and every time I stopped for a break I could feel myself getting blown further out to sea.

"Remy my pet Chihuahua then jumped in the water and by the time I rescued him and got back onboard I was totally out of energy and being pushed even further out.”

It was at this point that Nikki realised she was not going to be able to paddle back ashore and decided to call for help.

She said: “I was very tired and realised I couldn’t paddle back in. It was pretty scary and I started to panic. My phone was in a waterproof case and so I called my partner Michael and asked him to phone the Coastguard and then I did the same.”

It was then a case of hoping and waiting for the lifeboat to arrive and trying to ensure neither she or Remy went back in the water.

Nikki said: “Both me and Remy were very cold at this point and I just cuddled him into me and made sure we both stayed on the board. When I saw the lifeboat, I didn’t even have the energy to wave and shout but fortunately they must have seen me and headed straight towards the board.

"I was so relieved when they reached us and the first thing I did was had over Remy to get him warm. The crew then put me in a life jacket and took me ashore. I kept apologising for being silly and going out on my own but they were just pleased we were safe. I’m so grateful to them for rescuing me and Remy.”

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While Nikki is keen to get back out on the water in the future, she is going to be more cautious following her ordeal.

She said: “I’m definitely going to be more aware of weather forecasts and will make a point of going out with friends in the future.”

A spokesperson for the Coastguard said on Tuesday: “HM Coastguard sent Hartlepool Coastguard Rescue Team and an RNLI lifeboat from Hartlepool to reports of concern for a paddle-boarder off Seaton Carew just after 9.15am this morning (November 1).

"The lifeboat took a woman and her dog to shore. The rescue team assessed and released her.”