Angler rescued after hour in sea

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Pictures of the rescue by an RAF SAR helicopter

A 48-year-old angler was saved in a rescue by an RAF helicopter after struggling in the water for an hour.

The man from Bolton, who was with a friend, had been washed off rocks while fishing near Aberdaron near the tip of the Lleyn Peninsula.

He held on to his rucksack which provided some buoyancy, and then managed to get to rocks before being found by the rescue helicopter.

His friend left the scene to get a mobile signal to contact coastguards.

The emergency was reported at 1715 BST, as the pair were fishing near Braich-y-Pwll.

The crew of the Sea King helicopter were already airborne on a training mission when they were contacted by Holyhead coastguard and were on the scene 30 minutes later.

Hypothermia

When they got within a mile the crew spotted, on thermal imaging equipment, the man's friend waving frantically from cliffs.

Then they saw the man in the water struggling to cling to rocks while being buffeted by waves

Sergeant Ed Griffiths, the winchman-paramedic, was lowered 100ft, attached a strop to the angler, and then he was winched into the aircraft.

The rescued man had been washed off the rocks by a wave whilst fishing and he was eventually washed up against the rocks in a small inlet.

He was treated for hypothermia in the helicopter and taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor.

A spokesman for Holyhead Coastguard said the man is well but cold.

Aberdaron coastguard team was also sent to the emergency.