Two canoeists were picked up by the RNLI Loch Ness team after capsizing on Saturday.
The duo managed to get to shore themselves, and were in “good spirits” despite their dip in the chilly water.
However, staff at Urquhart Castle had spotted the pair in the water and raised the alarm with the lifeboat team.
Crew members were already at the station prior to the lifeboat being launchedA Loch Ness lifeboat spokesman said: “By chance, many of our crew were already at the station carrying out routine cleaning and maintenance, so they were on the water within four minutes of being paged.”
The crew discovered an overturned canoe at the edge of Urquhart Bay and after ensuring nobody was trapped underneath they headed to the castle to search for the two people spotted in the water. They were found by the pier next to the castle.
The spokesman said they were in “good spirits – despite their swim in the cold loch” – and were checked over by an ambulance crew as a precaution.
Persons in water and overturned canoe sparks search on Loch Ness