Paddleboarder dad rescued almost four miles out to sea off Dorset

Two coastguard search and rescue helicopters joined the search

A paddleboarder has been rescued almost four miles out to sea after he and his teenage son got into difficulty.

The pair were reported missing off the Dorset coast at 15:00 BST on Monday, sparking a six-hour air and sea search.

HM Coastguard said the father was found 3.6 miles (5.8km) south of Old Harry Rocks at 19:40 and was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia.

His son was located near Bournemouth Pier two hours later. The RNLI said the pair had been "incredibly lucky".

The search involved HM Coastguard and police helicopters, along with police and coastal rescue teams and lifeboats from Swanage, Poole, Yarmouth, Lymington and Mudeford.

The pair were believed to have been paddleboarding from Studland around Old Harry Rocks to Swanage. They were reported missing by another family member when they failed to arrive.

'Huge response'

In a statement, Poole RNLI said its crew joined the "large scale" search later in the evening.

The father was found by Yarmouth Lifeboat and airlifted to safety.

With light fading, the search continued for his son. His board was later found to have come ashore at Hengistbury Head and he was spotted by police at Bournemouth Pier.

RNLI volunteer helm Steve Porter said:"The dad was found a considerable distance off the coast and needed to be airlifted.

"It was a huge response by all the multi agencies involved, working together and a great result. A life saved."

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