AN EXHAUSTED swimmer wearing T-shirt, shorts and socks had to be rescued from a dinghy by the inshore lifeboat after getting caught in the tide off Swanpool.

Falmouth RNLI's inshore lifeboat was launched at 8pm on Wednesday to reports of a person shouting for help from a dinghy at Swanpool Beach. The casualty turned out to be a very hypothermic swimmer.

It took the lifeboat crew just five minutes to reach the man who had gone into the water and been caught in the tide. He'd managed to reach a dinghy moored just off the beach, and had climbed into it before calling for help. He was found to be very hypothermic and in a confused state. The crew including helmsman Carl Beardmore, Jonathon Hackwell and Andy Jenkins gave him oxygen and began warming him up as they took him to paramedics waiting on the beach.

Mr Beardmore said the man, who was on holiday from Luton, was very lucky. "He was dressed in a t-shirt, shorts and socks which didn't give him any protection once he started to get cold. After he had climbed into the dinghy the wind started to chill him too. It was fortunate that the boat was here, and that he was able to get into it and then shout for help.

"The RNLI advice is to always swim with a friend so there is someone to help if you get into difficulties, and to raise the alarm. If you do decide to go swimming, especially at a quiet time like the evening, always tell someone what you are planning to do and how long you intend to stay in the water. Remember the water might seem relatively warm at this time of year, but you can get cold very quickly and the windchill factor can make it worse."