A teen kitesurfer who got into difficulty at sea has been praised for carrying a radio which he used to call for help.

The young man, who does not wish to be identified, had been kitesurfing just off Whitstable at about 4.30pm yesterday when he encountered a problem and was suddenly dragged out into the waters.

The material enclosing his kite's bladder - an inflatable tube around the craft's leading edge - split, damaging the bladder and sending the kite into an uncontrollable spin known as a "kite loop".

The teen was soon dragged out to sea, and separated from the kite's board.

But luckily, he had been carrying a small radio which he promptly used to contact the coastguard.

Speaking afterwards, he told RNLI crew members: "I managed to pull the safety leash, de-powering the kite, and then swam to the kite and used it as a buoyancy aid.

"I then was able to call the coastguard on the small radio."

Whitstable RNLI lifeboat launched at about 4.30pm, and managed to locate the young man and bring him safely to shore.

Lifeboat helmsman Rob Judge was full of praise for him.

"It is unusual for kitesurfers to carry small radios," he said. "Because he was so well prepared he was able to assist himself by calling for help, rather than wait for someone ashore to see his predicament.

"He has done the right thing, and as a result we were able to be on scene ”

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