A half-submerged fisherman was plucked barely alive from the freezing sea off Southerness in a dramatic rescue.
Silloth Lifeboat raced across the Solway to save the shivering man from the waves in the nick of time.
The angler was up to his waist in icy water after being trapped by the fast incoming tide.
He was perched on an underwater rock 400 yards from the lighthouse and assessed as being near death when rescued.
The man, who was chillled so badly he could not talk, was brought ashore and given emergency aid until an ambulance arrived minutes later.
Carsethorn couple Paul and Linda Sibbons watched the drama unfold after stopping at Southerness on a cycle run.
Retired teacher Mr Sibbons, 70, told the News: “There was a guy in a hoodie on a rock up to his waist in water. He was completely cut off.
“He must have been fishing and not noticed the water coming round behind him.
“The lifeboat was having difficulty getting close to him because of the rocks.
“One of the guys jumped in and got him back to the boat.”
Mr Sibbons added: “When they got him ashore he looked in real distress. He was shaking with hypothermia and shock.
“I got the impression if they had got there 15 minutes later he may well not have made it.
“On the way home we met the ambulance shooting down the road to the beach.”
Silloth RNLI was scrambled by Belfast Coastguard following a 999 call by a member of the public last Thursday afternoon.
Operations manager Eddie Studholme said: “Our pagers went off at 13.48 and we were on the scene in 17 minutes.
“The man was at the end of a rocky promontory about 400 yards out from the lighthouse.
“He’d been caught out by the tide and was up to his waist holding his fishing bags.
“He had been standing in that position in the water for a long time and had no strength left.
“One of our guys jumped in the water and swam him back to the boat.
“He could not speak and was shivering very severely – the crew could not get anything out of him.
“The helmsman considered bringing him back to Silloth because the rocks were too dangerous.
“The tide was beginning to ebb and they nearly got caught.”
Mr Studholme said the fisherman was “very close to collapse”.
He said: “He had given up when we got to him. He was so weak and shivering he couldn’t say a single word.
“He was extremely hypothermic and was in a heck of a state.
“If we had not got him he would have collapsed and been carried away to sea.
“We put him in a survival smock and treated him the best we could.”
Mr Studholme agreed the casualty would not have survived another 15 minutes.
“I would go along with that,” he said.
“The sea temperature was 9C – if you are in water that cold you don’t last long.
“You are very limited for survival time in those conditions.”
Mr Studholme urged water users to understand the dangers posed by fast-running tides and hidden channels.
He warned: “Be aware, be knowledgeable of the area and get local information if you are on holiday.
“The Solway tides are very fast-flowing and caution is needed at all times.
“The water comes in so quickly and the currents can easily be seven or eight knots.”
Reports the man was from the north-east of England could not be confirmed.
He is believed to be in his early thirties.
