UPDATED: Swimmer winched from the sea near Abbotsbury
Coastguard teams from West Bay and Lyme Regis were scrambled
Last updated 19th Feb 2021
A major rescue operation was launched yesterday afternoon to help a man in difficulty in the sea off Abbotsbury Beach.
Coastguard Rescue teams, including Lyme Regis Lifeboat and the coastguard helicopter were all scrambled.
They found a man in the sea, struggling to get back to shore, due to the large swell and breaking waves.
He was winched to safety by the coastguard helicopter and then flown to hospital for treatment.
A spokesperson for West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team said:
"The West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team, Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 175 and the RNLI Lyme Regis Lifeboat were all tasked to the scene.
"Dorset Police who were in the area at the time of the incident also responded to assist.
"On arrival, Coastguard officers found the casualty at sea, unable to return to shore due to the large sea swell and breaking waves.
"The Coastguard Helicopter arrived on scene shortly after, with the Lifeboat not far behind.
"The casualty was winched from the sea by the winch-man / paramedic and was dropped back to the beach where he was assessed.
"The decision was made to fly the casualty direct to hospital and team members cleared a landing site on the beach for the inbound helicopter.
"The casualty was then packaged into a stretcher and transferred to the helicopter for the trip to hospital.
"We wish the casualty a full and speedy recovery."
A spokesperson for Bridport Police said:
"Please let this lucky escape be a lesson to those who think going for a quick swim in the sea is a good idea.
"The male was an experienced swimmer and yet still needed to be rescued.
"This action put a large demand on many already stretched services and luckily the result was the safe rescue of a person in need."