A gender reveal celebration took an unexpected turn after emergency services arrived over concerns for the safety of a boat crew.
Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade was called out to the party near the mouth of the River Tyne late on Saturday after reports of a vessel “going round in circles” and what appeared to be a red smoke flare from the boat.
The coastguard dispatched the brigade to investigate after fearing the boat was in distress.
However, upon arriving at Royal Quays Marina, emergency services discovered the situation was far less serious than first feared.
A spokesperson for the brigade said: “The team found that the ‘red’ flare was in fact ‘pink’, and the crew had been helping a couple reveal the gender of their baby.”
The boat’s skipper apologised for any alarm caused by the flare.
“Ultimately, we’re grateful everyone was safe and well,” the brigade spokesperson added. “We send our best wishes to the parents-to-be.”
The brigade also reminded the public that using flares in coastal areas can easily trigger emergency responses.
“Deploying flares in a coastal environment will always raise concerns that an emergency is taking place,” the spokesperson said.
“We’d recommend avoiding using flares near the coast in any other circumstances, but if you intend to, please contact Humber Coastguard in advance.”
The incident was recorded as a false alarm with good intent — and the brigade described it as one of its more unusual callouts.
There were six members of the team were involved in the response.
