RNLI lifeguards on Bantham beach were called upon to save a female kite surfer last week after a bad wipeout led to a suspected spinal injury.

Kite surfer Nora Groos had been performing a trick on her kite board when she was dragged backwards through the water by the force of her kite, ending up on the shoreline near the river mouth.

With severe pain in her lower back, she was unable to move and there was a rapidly incoming tide. Lifeguard supervisor Paul Gunning attended the scene, while Ben Howey and Rhyanon Powell arrived with first-aid equipment.

They immobilised Nora with a spine board stretcher and she was taken to hospital.

Nora said: ‘Thank you to the lifeguards for getting me off the beach safely. I was scared, but they were calm and distracted me by asking me questions and telling me about themselves. They offered pain relief and made sure I was comfortable.’

While several members of the team were busy with Nora, new 17-year-old lifeguard Luke Lane-Prokopiou spotted a bodyboarder being dragged out to sea in a rip current.

He quickly responded on a rescue board and helped the youngster back to dry land.

Luke said: ‘This was my first rescue as an RNLI lifeguard. It was really good to put all of the ­training into action, and I was able to draw on the valuable experience I had gained previously as a volunteer RNLI lifeguard.’

Paul said: ‘Our advice is to always choose a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags. We also encourage people to speak to the lifeguards on duty for advice on the ­hazards and conditions on that particular day.’

In another incident, Salcombe RNLI launched in poor conditions on Monday evening to assist a catamaran that had become snagged in a lobster pot six miles off Start Point.

In 30-knot winds and rough seas, the volunteer lifeboat crew was able to free the obstruction and tow the vessel to safety.

The catamaran Zonder had suffered gearbox problems and was on its way back to Dartmouth when she then became snagged, rendering the vessel immobilised and hung up by the stern.

Conditions were poor, but the lifeboat arrived on scene at 7.50pm and coxswain Chris Winzar navigated the large swell to transfer crew ­members James Cooper and Tricky Clayton onto the yacht, taking three attempts to do so.

James and Tricky used cutting gear to try to clear the obstruction, but conditions made doing so safely difficult. The lifeboat passed a tow and swung the catamaran into the wind and sea, enabling the crew on board to free the line.

The vessel was then towed to Dartmouth and secured alongside the town quay pontoon.