Paddle boarding is a hugely popular leisure activity across the UK.

And while many have a great experience, others have got themselves into difficulty and needed to be rescued.

In this podcast, HM Coastguard explores the best way to make sure your paddle boarding day out is a good one.

New laws governing how powered watercraft are used on the sea are about safety, not stopping people's fun.

Following high profile incidents when there have been serious injuries and even deaths, the laws have been changed to call irresponsible users, owners and operators to account.

In this latest podcast, we look at how having fun needs to be done responsibly when it comes to powered craft like jetskis.

The Shipping Forecast... it's a national treasure but it's also something that could help save your life if you're travelling UK seas.

Dover, Fisher, German Bight, North Utsire, South Utsire ... it might sound like some sort of code but it's also part of vital maritime safety information.

In this podcast, we explore what the Shipping Forecast is, how to interpret it and why it truly matters for the mariners on our seas.

Excerpts from the Shipping Forecast used by permission of BBC Radio 4

We know more about the surface of the moon then we do about the oceans on our planet. 

And yet, seabed mapping is a vital part of maritime safety and the economy that is part and parcel of our every day lives.

We've been exploring the whole topic of hydrography and why it matters...

It's World Radio Day - a day to celebrate all that it is and helps us to do. It was in the 1800s when an Italian engineer called Guglielmo Marconi used radio waves to transmit signals across a distance of several miles.

Radio has been a big part of life ever since - and provides some really vital aspects of maritime safety.

We've been exploring radio with three of those at the MCA who are involved with aspects of the work that uses it most.

Our thanks to the BBC for the Shipping Forecast excerpt.

Full story of the rescue of the crew of the Lady Rosemary here:
https://hmcoastguard.blogspot.com/2021/11/couple-rescued-were-just-minutes-from.html

Be careful of hidden dangers on our beaches. 

It might look like sand but it could well be mud - checking local signs and tide times could help prevent your dream day out from becoming a nightmare.

Mike Buratti, area commander for Merseyside has been talking about the dangers of muddy beaches in our latest audio podcast.

Sea Sunday is a day to remember and be thankful for all those who work and serve in maritime. 

This reflection, led by the MCA's chaplain Rev Tom Ebbens and Rev Canon Richard Bartlett of West Purbeck Benefice in Dorset, is a thought-provoking look at the role of maritime in our every day lives from the coastguards who oversee our safety at the coast and on the sea, to seafarers who bring us so much of our daily lives and those who work in the background to support them.

Choir: Congregation of West Purbeck Benefice
Conductor: Paul Martin
Organist: Dr Richard Hall
Readers: Dawn Petrie & Andrea Smith

Got all the right kit for going out to sea with your paddleboard or kayak? This podcast explores the kind of technology that could help you get out of trouble if things go wrong while you're out.
This podcast talks to Her Majesty's Coastguard's technical gurus for some top tips on staying safe.

To mark Day of the Seafarer, we've brought together four people from across the Maritime and Coastguard Agency with different perspectives of seafarers.

The International Maritime Organization has carried out a survey asking seafarers a number of questions - we've been musing over the results in this latest MCA podcast.

Hear the latest plans on how the Maritime and Coastguard Agency continues to drive forward innovation and supporting the industry in its work for our first podcast of 2021.