Karen Whitton, 40, was saved by Shoreham Harbour RNLI in June last year after her kite crashed into the sea about a quarter of a mile offshore.
The experience inspired her to give back, and in February this year, she joined the crew as a shore volunteer.
Karen said: “There were seven of us kiting that day.
“My partner is an instructor and with the forecast showing a lovely day, my friend was going to be having a beginner lesson.
“The weather turned out very different from the forecast.
“I went out a little further, but as soon as I got out, my kite fell out of the sky.
“I couldn’t get my kite back up and it turned to an offshore wind quite suddenly.
“There was also an outgoing tide, so I was drifting further away from the beach.”
Karen’s partner managed to paddle back to shore and called 999, prompting the Coastguard to dispatch the Shoreham crew and launch their D class inshore lifeboat.
Knowing the RNLI was nearby gave her comfort during the ordeal.
She said it was the “final push” she needed to start volunteering herself.
Karen said: “It’s been great joining the crew.
“Everyone has been lovely and I’ve made new friends and I’m now doing my boat training.
“There’s a wealth of knowledge and experience at the station.
“I would encourage anyone considering joining to go to an open day.
“It’s a lot of commitment and you have to want to do it.
“I’m a nurse so I’m interested to start using my clinical skills again and get stuck into casualty care.”
She is now urging others to consider volunteering with the RNLI during Volunteers’ Week, which runs from June 2 to June 8.
Donna McReath, head of volunteering at the RNLI, said: “Volunteers continue to be at the forefront of what we do as we begin our third century of saving lives at sea and we thank all of them for their unwavering support.
“Karen is a great example of being inspired to start volunteering and it’s great to see how well she’s doing as a shore crew volunteer at Shoreham.
“There is a role for everyone at the RNLI and we are always looking for new volunteers to join our charity to help us continue saving lives.”
As Karen begins her journey with the RNLI, another volunteer recently celebrated 75 years of service at a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
Gerald said: “It was an honour and privilege to be chosen to represent the RNLI at the Buckingham Palace garden party on May 20.
“The cherry on the cake was being presented to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, who was interested in my motivation in volunteering for the RNLI.”
More information about volunteering opportunities can be found at RNLI.org/volunteer.
