Fisherman praised after swimmer rescued off Sussex coast
A fisherman who spotted a lone swimmer going into the sea off the coast of Sussex late at night has been praised for his vigilance by rescuers.
The coastguard was alerted and a search launched for the man half an hour after he entered the water at Portslade.
He was found, disoriented and in difficulties, following a two-hour search by lifeboats which scoured the coastline between Shoreham and Hove.
A spokesman for the coastguard said the man was cold but physically well.
The swimmer was located south of the Babylon Lounge, in Hove, and taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton for observation.
The spokesman said without the vigilance of the fisherman reporting the incident on Tuesday night "there could have been a very different outcome".