TWO divers are lucky to be alive after they were swept out to sea off Portland.

The pair had a miracle escape after being carried more than four miles by a ferocious tidal current and dumped in an area of water off Portland Bill.

They were plucked to safety after being spotted by chance by the crew of the Portland Coastguard helicopter.

Rescuers said the divers, both men aged in their 40s, were very lucky and if they had gone missing at night they may not have been seen.

The men, from Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex, were uninjured despite their ordeal.

The drama began on Saturday afternoon when the skipper of the Weymouth dive vessel Skin-Deeper called coastguards to report two divers missing off Grove Point, on the east side of Portland.

The pair had been drift diving with a larger group but missed their pick-up point.

Coastguard controllers made an emergency broadcast and local vessels Meerkat, Sabre and Tiger Lilly responded and joined both Weymouth Lifeboats and the helicopter in a search of the area.

Duty watch manager at Portland Coastguard Dominic ‘Nic’ Lonsdale said the pair had started their dive in a sheltered area but had been ‘whipped down the side of the island’ after being caught by a very fast moving tide.

They were found after about 45 minutes one and a half miles south west of Portland Bill.

The helicopter took them back to the airbase at Osprey Quay where they were met by a coastguard team before being reunited with their group on Skin-Deeper.

Coastguard watch assistant Malcolm Wright said: “It was a very well executed rescue.

“They had travelled a long way on a rapid tide.

“We were lucky there were lots of responses from local vessels plus we’ve got the helicopter on our doorstep and both lifeboats were out.

“All too often we have to respond to diving jobs, it’s the nature of the hobby. It’s not that common for it to end like this. For them to be on the surface safe and well and with no diving related problems, it’s superb.”

Ian Taylor of Skin Deep Diving said the vessel’s skipper was very professional and had acted fast to alert coastguards.

Coastguard helicopter winchman and paramedic Adrian ‘Buck’ Rogers said: “Had it been night-time there could have been a different outcome.”

He added: “They went a lot further than anyone thought they would. We extended the search area and it was the pilot, Darren Mansell, who spotted them, well south of the tidal Race.

“They hadn’t missed any decompression stops and were not injured. They were well wrapped up and weren’t cold in any way. We recovered them and their gear.

“They were lucky. They weren’t happy when they were passing Portland Bill lighthouse in the water on their way south and realised just how far they were being carried.”