The Clevedon Coastguard and RNLI Portishead rescue teams were called into action yesterday (June 26) to save two people who had become stranded after abandoning their inflatable dinghy.
The rescue team, RNLI Portishead and the Coastguard Helicopter from St. Athan in South Wales were alerted to the incident.
In a social media post, the Clevedon Coastguard group described the severity of the situation.
It said: "Once on scene, it was clear that they had left the safety of their craft in an attempt to get to shore.
"Neither were wearing lifejackets or other forms of floatation. Given the criticality of the situation, we prepared to deploy rescue swimmers.
"With the helicopter's arrival, and it best placed to effect the rescue, we prepared to provide casualty care once they were transferred to shore.
"The prompt arrival of the rescue teams, meant we are talking about a successful rescue, not a tragic loss of life this morning."
The group also stressed the importance of flotation devices and asked those with inflatables to check the tides, the wind direction and forecast before entering the water.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here