A MAN has died following a desperate bid to retrieve him from the sea, off the coast of a British beach.
Cornwall Police raced to get the man out of the water, scrambling emergency helicopters after he was found unresponsive on July 20.
AlamyA man has drowned at Spit Beach in Cornwall[/caption]
GettyCoastguard forces were scrambled after the unresponsive man was spotted in the sea[/caption]
The 50-year-old man was spotted in the sea at Spit Beach Par after getting “into difficulty” while swimming at around 2.15pm.
Police were contacted by HM Coastguard, who scrambled emergency services in a desperate race to reach the unresponsive man.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and South Western Ambulances joined in the rescue effort, with a coastguard helicopter finally retrieving him from the sea.
Attempts to save the Hertfordshire man’s life were made upon recovering him from the water, but he sadly passed away – despite the emergency services’ efforts.
Following the desperate rescue mission, a spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Police were called by HM Coastguard at 2.15pm on Sunday 20 July after a man was found unresponsive in the sea at Spit Beach, Par.
“The man had got into difficulty while swimming and was recovered from the water by the Coastguard helicopter.
“Ambulance and the RNLI also attended.
“The man was treated at the scene but despite the best efforts of emergency services he was sadly pronounced deceased.
“He was in his 50s and from Hertfordshire.
“The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”
Previously, the force had released a statement saying they were called to Spit Beach at Par, following an alert from HM Coastguard near St Austell.
Spit Beach is popular with dog walkers and, according to St Austell’s tourist page, very much a local’s favourite.
The beach looks out to the English Channel, which is notoriously difficult to swim in.
The ice cold temperatures, strong currents and unpredictable weather have even led some to brand the channel as the “Everest of open water swimming”.
Brits are advised by the RNLI to only swim at lifeguarded beaches, in order to keep safe in the water.
Even there, beach-goers are advised to be mindful of rip currents which can sweep even professional swimmers out to sea.
The RNLI says that you should simply float if caught by a rip cuurent, since struggling against it could lead to you getting exhausted and drowning.
Instead, wait until you are free of the rip current and swim back to shore.
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