The coastguard was called to rescue a group of “waving people” off the coast of Skye but when the lifeboat arrived they found seals and porpoises.
A HGV driver raised the alarm on Saturday morning to what he thought were several people waving from the water.
The motorist was travelling between Portree and Broadford, overlooking the ocean, when he became concerned.
An HM Coastguard spokesman said: “We received a 999 call from an HGV driver driving between Portree and Broadford. He was looking out seaward through the trees and bushes along the road and thought he saw four to five people waving.
“He couldn’t turn back but was concerned enough to call us.”
RNLI Kyle lifeboat was launched to investigate the band of water between the Isle of Scalpay and Broadford as coastguard teams from Skye combed the coastline.
A nearby vessel also came to assist with the search.
Marine life mistaken for people waving
But when they arrived, teams discovered groups of marine life, including porpoise and 20 to 30 seals.
Coastguard officials said a cyclist has been looking out over the water for around an hour, and spotted nothing untoward.
They believe the driver must have seen the porpoise breaking the water and mistook that for people waving.
By 9.58am, teams were stood down confirming the incident as a false alarm with good intent.
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