AN RNLI lifeguard from Llangrannog enjoying his dream honeymoon in India was forced to spring into action to save a man from drowning after he was dragged out to sea by strong currents.

More accustomed to rescuing bathers off Ceredigion beaches, Phil Blackwood drew on all his RNLI skills more than 5,000 miles away when an early-morning surf on Varkala Beach in Kerala, southern India, turned into a grim, life-or-death sea rescue.

Phil, who married fellow RNLI lifeguard Anna Clements, was alerted to the man in difficulty at the northern end of the 1.8km beach by the whistle of a local lifeguard.

There were strong currents running in the water and the bather - a 35-year-old Russian man called Michail Sukachev - had been knocked off his feet and swept out beyond the large breaking waves.

He was floating on his back and clearly distressed and when Phil paddled out to him was unable to explain he could not swim due to reduced movement down his left side following an accident 14 years ago.

With the pair in danger of being swept into a rocky cove, Phil – who suspected the stricken swimmer had sustained a spinal injury - managed to drag him onto his small surfboard and struck out desperately for the beach.

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