A woman was winched to safety by an Irish Coast Guard helicopter when she got into difficulty while swimming in the sea at Greystones, Co Wicklow.
The rescue took place at around 4pm on the South Beach when members of the public alerted emergency services after they saw what was described as the woman "drifting away" from her two swimming companions.
A spokesman for the coast guard told RTÉ: "The woman was an experienced swimmer, but conditions were very windy - a wind warning had been issued for the area - and the sea was rough.
"The coast guard unit at Greystones went to the scene, but could not launch a boat due to the rough conditions."
The coast guard then alerted its Rescue 116 helicopter crew at Dublin Airport who flew to South Beach in around ten minutes.
"Our boat was crewed and ready to launch but conditions were at our maximum allowed and therefore it was decided that Rescue 116 would attempt to rescue her first, while our boat crew were on standby," according to a statement on the Greystones Coast Guard Facebook page.
"A passing lifeguard tried to assist the woman but conditions at the time were dangerous. He managed to get a life ring to her, before having to return to shore."
Coast guard pulling someone from the sea in Greystones beach just now. Crazy stuff. @rtenews pic.twitter.com/d4AJvzcLHY
— Hugh Cahill (@hughcahill7) November 11, 2020
Greystones gardaí also went to the beach as a large crowd had gathered there.
"Around ten minutes after taking off from Dublin Airport, Rescue 116 arrived at the scene and a winchman went down to the water and lifted the woman to safety," said the coast guard spokesperson.
He said the woman had been in the water for almost an hour and was "very tired and slightly hypothermic - she was wearing a swimsuit, not a wetsuit. The water temperature would have been around 10C".
Both the lifeguard and the rescued swimmer were brought to St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin for assessment. There were no life-threatening injuries.
