RESCUERS saved the life of a swimmer in trouble off a South East Cornwall beach this week. The woman got into difficulty at Tregonhawke, Whitsand Bay, at around midday on Wednesday. RNLI lifeguards Beau Gillett and Joe Saunders were alerted as were Looe lifeboat crew members Toby Bray, Michael Berry and Aaron Rix. Beau and Joe paddled their rescue boards one kilometre to the location given for the swimmer but initially couldn't see her. Joe went into the shore to speak with people on the beach who had heard someone shouting for help while Beau continued the search. Beau located the woman some 350 metres out from the beach in a very poor state. He said: 'As I reached the lady, who was wearing a wetsuit and small swim fins, she was on her lasts legs with exhaustion and wouldn't have managed to stay afloat for much longer. I grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the rescue board where she hung on. 'As Joe joined me we could see that the volunteer crew from Looe were en route so we waited for them, all the time reassuring her that she was safe and we'd get her back to the beach. 'We transferred her into the lifeboat and the crew took us all to Tregantle beach where we were met by the Tamar coastguard team and a paramedic. 'Although responsive she was not alert, so we gave her oxygen and glucose and kept her warm so that when she was handed over to the paramedic she was in a stable condition.' The woman was transferred by ambulance to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth for further care. RNLI lifeguard supervisor Kate Berridge said the rescue was a great example of teamwork between the two RNLI teams and other emergency services which undoubtedly saved the swimmer's life. Kate said: 'She had been in the water for a long time when the RNLI lifeguards reached her and she was in a pretty bad state. Thankfully someone on the shore had heard her cries for help and the RNLI teams were quickly on scene. 'The south-easterly wind had created quite a choppy sea which would have made sea swimming difficult. The water is also still extremely cold.' Picture: Kate Berridge, RNLI