According to reports, Bear Grylls had approached the RNLI to say he wanted to help them practise saving children, near his home on St Tudwal’s Island, North Wales.
He tweeted a picture of his son Jesse, 11, standing on rocks surrounded by waves.
The survival expert captioned the image (since deleted): "Jesse and the @rnli on a training exercise to rescue him off the rocks!"
However the 41-year-old was later criticised by the RNLI, who told the Daily Star that they had no idea the training exercise would feature a live child.
RNLI manager Gareth Hughes said: “I certainly wouldn’t put my young son on those rocks. No-one was hurt thankfully.”
However, despite Hughes saying that Bear’s ‘risky’ exercise had given the RNLI the “wrong kind of publicity”, others at the company have praised the dad-of-three for his hard work and dedication.
The RNLI's Divisional Operations Manager Lee Firman told BBC News: "The RNLI has worked with Bear Grylls over a number of years and he has been a great ambassador which we are very grateful for.
"Last Thursday, on their normal training evening, the crew at Abersoch agreed to carry out a joint exercise with Bear.
"The lifeboat and its crew was in close attendance and the boy was in sight at all times and wearing a life jacket."
Bear Grylls, known to many as a dedicated and loving dad, previously told Closer Online: “My three young boys have always been a little wild and I love that in them.
“Great adventures teach them not only great life and outdoor skills, but also gives kids a confidence and pride that money cannot buy.”
He has not commented on the RNLI’s comments about the training exercise.