Again and again submerged automobiles are recovered from the water.
Submerged automobiles are usually rescued from this seaside (Picture: Dafydd Davies)
It is a phenomenal however infamous seaside the place automobiles are usually dragged out of the ocean having develop into partly or utterly submerged. During the last 40 years. native farmer Dafydd Davies says he has repeatedly taken his John Deere tractor to rescue automobiles from the infamous Traeth y Graig Ddu (Black Rock Sands) in Gwynedd in north-west Wales.
And his dedication to saving stranded automobiles dates again to his personal traumatic occasion 4 many years earlier. In 1980, whereas engaged on a brand new silage pit at his Tremadog farm, he suffered a extreme accident with a JCB bucket loader that left him pinned towards a concrete septic tank.
“I misplaced my eye however I used to be very fortunate I did not lose my life,” he instructed North Wales Stay. The ordeal heightened his consciousness of risks and spurred a want to contribute to the group, together with providing his land for air ambulance landings.
“That incident made me far more conscious of dangers – even now I can sense accidents about to occur. It additionally made me wish to give one thing again to the group – I volunteered my land for air ambulance landings.”
One other automobile awaits rescue — this time with its driver nonetheless inside (Picture: Dafydd Davies)
This sense of responsibility additionally prompted him practically a decade in the past to tackle the position of seaside guardian the seaside close to Porthmadog, one of many uncommon seashores on which driving is permitted. Pulling automobiles from the encroaching tide or releasing them from tender dune sands has lengthy been a activity for native farmers and when the earlier guardian retired Dafydd eagerly stepped ahead.
Automotive and motorhome house owners typically act rapidly sufficient that their automobiles may be salvaged. However typically, all Dafydd can do is retrieve them to stop an environmental hazard.
Often, his spouse Kathryn, a former nurse, bears the brunt of such incidents, like when a pink VW campervan was engulfed in 2020. The van and its transporter, delivered to the seaside for a Nineteen Seventies-themed photoshoot, had been swallowed by a quickly rising tide after they received caught within the sand.
“I at all times keep in mind the date – September 14 – because it’s my spouse’s birthday,” Dafydd reminisced. “I might booked a meal at a restaurant however my cell rang and we needed to go to the seaside as an alternative. I normally get there in 18 minutes however by the point we arrived, it was too late – the tide was coming in too quick. As a substitute, I drove the tractor to the restaurant, had a meal, then I went again to the seaside. It was round 2am after I lastly received house.”
The distraught proprietor, from Cheshire, estimated losses at £60,000.
In a typical summer season, round six to 10 automobiles come to grief on the Gwynedd seaside. However it’s thought as much as 30 automobiles and motorhomes had been rescued final yr in 2025, as a result of the seaside is extraordinarily fashionable and one of many few the place drivers can take their automobiles and motorhomes on the sand.
Locals are well-versed within the unpredictable nature of a seaside whose inviting shallow waters are good for swimming and water sports activities, but pose a hidden risk to unwary motorists. The very function that makes the seaside perfect for leisure actions – its light slope – additionally presents a hazard by enabling tides to surge in swiftly.
Dafydd hauled out this campervan in June (Picture: Dafydd Davies)
The Black Rock Sands seaside close to the Welsh village of Morfa Bychan (Picture: Getty Photos/iStockphoto)
Though there are quite a few warnings on the seaside concerning the potential perils, they cannot be positioned the place individuals are likely to park at low tide close to the water. Guests who pay for parking obtain a leaflet detailing tide instances and seaside security suggestions, together with recommendation on parking and even info on weeverfish.
“Nevertheless it’s human nature, they do not learn the leaflets or have a look at the indicators, and so they park the place they need. If the tide is excessive within the morning, all of the automobiles park larger up the seaside and, if the sand is dry and tender, that is when individuals want pulling from the dunes,” mentioned Dafydd.
The scenario worsens when the tide is out, and the firmer sand encourages drivers to enterprise additional, solely to be caught off guard by the incoming sea. “Nevertheless when the tide is out and the sand is more durable, that is when individuals park additional out. Earlier than they realize it, the ocean is coming in.”
On sizzling weekends, you may discover 1,000 automobiles or extra on the seaside, inflicting site visitors to again up for over half a mile into Morfa Bychan village and successfully turning the seaside into an infinite makeshift automobile park.
Final yr, the council began closing the seaside gate at 8pm, which in principle meant fewer rescues later within the night however did not at all times go in line with plan.
Final June, Dafydd was about to go to a marriage celebration: “We had been dressed and nearly to exit the door to a marriage celebration. I drove to the seaside whereas my spouse went to the celebration alone. A household from Birmingham had been caught on the seaside. As they reported it rapidly, I used to be capable of save their automobile – they had been very grateful – and I made it to the celebration by 9pm. Solely as soon as the clock ticks previous 8pm throughout the summer season can I lastly calm down.”
And up to date years have introduced a contemporary problem to Dafydd’s coastal rescue operation: the rising variety of electrical automobiles (EVs) presents a significantly harder activity than retrieving conventional petrol automobiles.
“Electrical automobiles are a lot heavier due to their batteries,” he defined. “You’re taking a fundamental Honda EV – it weights 2.2 tonnes. Not solely do they sink additional into the sand, it requires extra energy and traction to drag them out.”
Nevertheless, like many farmers, Dafydd believes he has an obligation to help his local people. Some assist clear snow from roads, while others rescue motorists trapped by floods.
“I take pleasure in it,” mentioned Dafydd. “I like the thought of giving one thing again. My son, Owain, who works with me on the farm, has executed a few seaside jobs, which implies I can now get away for a day if I have to. However not for too lengthy – serving to others offers me nice satisfaction.”
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