A woman has been saved after getting into trouble in the water at an unpatrolled beach in Lake Macquarie last night.
Emergency Services were rushed to the isolated Pinny Beach – south of Caves Beach – around 6 o’clock following reports of a person struggling in heavy surf, near rocks and sea caves.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was also dispatched to the scene, where after a brief search in the darkness it located the female swimmer in the water.
A critical care paramedic was winched down to secure the woman who was then airlifted back to the chopper base at Belmont.
The woman was stabilised before she was taken by ambulance to the John Hunter Hospital suffering from hypothermia.