A kayaker who had fallen out of his vessel in a notoriously dangerous stretch of water off the Pembrokeshire coast has been pulled out the water by local lifeboat volunteers.

The last reported sighting of the kayaker, who had left Skokholm island and was heading towards Martins Haven, was just south of Jack Sound, the notorious stretch of water separating Skomer island from the mainland.

St Davids RNLI all-weather lifeboat, Norah Wortley, launched at 3.30pm on Saturday, September 23, to begin searching for the kayaker.

When the lifeboat arrived, the kayaker was seen struggling on the edge of the Sound’s overfalls; this is a turbulent stretch of water caused by a strong current flowing over underwater ridges. In this case the power of the overfalls was exacerbated by an increasing ebb tide flowing against a strengthening southerly wind.

Moments later the kayak capsized, and the kayaker was in the freezing cold sea.

Western Telegraph: The kayaker was plucked from the notoriously dangerous Jack Sound.

St Davids’ volunteer crew was then faced with the challenge of pulling the casualty out of the overfalls, while negotiating the numerous reefs and shallows nearby.

The crew managed to get close enough to haul the casualty onboard. The helmsperson manoeuvred the lifeboat out of the dangerous overfalls and then returned to recover the kayak.

The casualty was assessed and luckily did not require further medical assistance.

St Davids RNLI then headed to Martins Haven to rendezvous with Little & Broad Haven Lifeboat inshore lifeboat who took the casualty and kayak ashore.

Both lifeboats were then stood down and returned to station, with the all-weather lifeboat rehousing at around 5pm.