In the first episode, Totland Bay in the Isle of Wight is the scene of a dangerous boating accident which has left three passengers with serious injuries. Lead investigator Mark Cam of the MCA's Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team (RCIT) examines the incident and to investigate why this near fatal disaster happened. What ensues is a near 18-month investigation with RCIT seeking criminal charges toward the skipper and ultimately, justice for the unfortunate passengers on board.

An 85-year-old woman calls the emergency services as she hangs on for dear life, while treacherous waves crash against her in Llanaber, North Wales. As she clings onto the rocks of the beach's sea defenses, panicked that she can't hold on for much longer, the phone line is disconnected. With little time to waste, the Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (MRCC) tasks Barmouth Coastguard Rescue Team, as well as Rescue Helicopter 936 from Caernarfon, to search along the coastline. Rescue 936 find it difficult to locate the casualty and MRCC aren't able to make contact, as time is of the essence during this nerve shredding search.

At Bassets Cove in Cornwall, passers-by call for help as they've noticed a couple who have been stranded on a rock cut off by the tide, on the formidable Cornish coastline. Portreath and St. Agnes Coastguard Rescue Teams (CRT) as well as St. Ives Lifeboat are tasked to the location but no one can get a visual of the couple. It seems the powerful swell has knocked them off the rock and propelled them into a cave. With a risk to life for all involved and sea conditions getting worse, two Coastguard Rescue Helicopter teams along with the CRTs will be involved in one of the most dramatic and dangerous missions in recent memory.