Kayaker rescued by local RIB boat owner after icy plunge sparks Coastguard and RNLI Loch Ness mercy mission
A kayaker in distress has been rescued from Loch Ness after plunging into the notoriously cold waters near Foyers village.
The Rescue 151 Inverness Coastguard helicopter was scrambled after the emergency call on Thursday afternoon, with the RNLI Loch Ness lifeboat also quickly on the scene.
As the latter arrived, they found a locally-owned commercial RIB boat was already assisting the male casualty.
The volunteer RNLI crew was paged with the at 3.45pm Atlantic 85 lifeboat Sheila and Dennis Tongue IV launched with a four-person crew.
A decision was made for the RIB to recover the casualty and return him to shore given his lengthy time in the water.
The lifeboat crew then liaised with the commercial crew to assess any casualty care needs, with paramedics quickly on the scene.
The man was described as “wet and cold” but was able to change into a spare set of clothes and was quickly warmed, with no further treatment was required.
The RNLI lifeboat crew, on their sixth emergency call of 2025, praised the casualty for being correctly equipped with a lifejacket and wetsuit meaning while he was uncomfortably cold, he suffered no lasting ill-effects despite his time in the water.
RNLI Loch Ness’s Helm Kieron Tarling said: “As a helm, I have to say this was a great shout from a crew perspective.
“We worked seamlessly as a team with great communications. Everyone had their part to play and the crew worked together on the casualty care as a really good team.
“The doctor on scene commented on the professional handover and all tasks were undertaken with professionalism.
“From my seat, I had total confidence in the crew at all times and had very little call to manage or direct which is a great position to be in.
This was a great advert to show what all our regular training achieves and as the Lifeboat Training Co-ordinator, I’m grateful for all the time everyone dedicates to the regular training we all do.”
