COASTGUARD and RNLI teams were called out to a major search of the North Ayrshire coastline on Tuesday.
The Largs and Troon RNLI lifeboats were called out and coastguard teams combed the shoreline after the alarm was raised.
A 999 caller reported having been videoing a lone kayaker 50-100 metres from the shore at Ardneil Bay, near West Kilbride, but having then lost sight of them.
The lifeboat crews battled through rough seas after the alarm was raised at 5pm on Tuesday, April 11, with 25mph wind gusts and the sea swell reaching 2.5 metres, and were asked to carry out a shore search after arriving on the scene.
A coastguard rescue helicopter was called out to join the lifeboat crews, with shoreline searches also performed by members of the Greenock, Ardrossan and Largs coastguard rescue teams.
During their search the crews passed by a house with a kayak outside, matching the description of the one being searched for.
On speaking to the occupants of the house, it quickly became clear that the kayak at the house was indeed the one that was being searched for, and that the person in it had returned safely to shore before going home.
The callout was classed as a false alarm with good intent, and all crews were stood down shortly before 8pm.
John Griffiths, lifeboat operations manager at the Largs lifeboat station, thanked the station's crew for their response in the difficult conditions and praised the emergency services involved in the search in the "extremely wet and windy" weather.
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