A SWIMMER was hauled from huge seas yesterday after being spotted in the water near Penzance.

Despite the gusting Force 9 winds and four-metre swell, the man entered the water at Albert Pier just before midday.

The National Coastwatch Institution team, who monitor Mount’s Bay from their look-out point, raised the alarm with Falmouth Coastguards, who tasked Penlee Lifeboat to attend.

RNLI Coxswain Patch Harvey said: "This was a challenging rescue in extremely poor weather and sea conditions. The rapid response of the Inshore lifeboat crew is to be congratulated, there’s no doubt that the speed of their arrival led to another life saved.

"We would always advise not to enter the sea in such rough conditions, and never to swim alone. Consider wearing a wetsuit and bright coloured hat. Always swim parallel to the shore and not straight out. Cold water and currents can tire you quickly and make it harder to return to the shore. If you see someone in trouble, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard."

Despite the rough conditions, the man swam straight out through the large waves away from the shore. He was being continually swamped by the heavy seas and disappeared under the waves more than once.

All-weather lifeboat Ivan Ellen reached the location 200 metres east of Albert Pier.

The volunteer crew quickly spotted the swimmer, but in the shallow water, with a receding tide, the Ivan Ellen was at the edge of her operational capabilities, so Mr Harvey requested the launch of the Inshore lifeboat Mollie and Ivor Dent.

The male swimmer remained under the constant observation of the volunteer crew. They could see that he was in real danger, struggling with the heavy seas and at one stage he was waving for help.

At 12.11pm, the Inshore lifeboat Mollie and Ivor Dent, with volunteer David Pascoe at the helm, and volunteer crew members Ben Keogh and Mike Isles onboard, launched from Newlyn and sped across a very rough bay, arriving on scene just 10 minutes after their pagers had sounded.

Helm David Pascoe skilfully negotiated the Inshore lifeboat through the heavy sea and swell, and after several attempts, managed to get alongside the swimmer. He was swiftly dragged onboard and taken to Penzance Harbour. On arrival the lifeboat was met by the Penzance Coastguard Rescue Team and the casualty was handed over to their care.

Patch added: "I would also like to thank the team at the Penzance National Coastwatch Institution, and members of the public, who made exactly the right calls to the Falmouth Coastguard Operations Centre - this rescue could have had a very different ending had they not reported their concerns. Together with our colleagues at the Penzance Coastguard Rescue Team, this is yet another example of teamwork at its best."

To view the video of the inshore lifeboat tackling huge waves en route to the rescue, visit //rnli.org/news-and-media/2018/november/28/penlee-rnli-rescue-swimmer-from-very-rough-sea-conditions-off-penzance