A TEAM of coastguards had to be scambled this afternoon after a canoeist found himself in difficulty during the Arnside Bore.

A 34-year-old man from Carnforth, acting as the 'lookout' for a 25-year-old paddleboarder, found himself floundering after the waves capsized his boat at around 12.30pm.

"The coastguard was watching them so he saw when it happened," said a spokesman for the Arnside coastguards.

"When the Bore came in he was just thrown out of the boat."

The pair were in the middle of the estuary when the incident happened.

A team of coastguards was called together and were about to set out on jetskis when the man 'self-rescued' by making his way to the opposite side of the inlet.

He emptied his canoe of water before paddling back to Arnside.

The Bore, a large wave, happens when freshwater in the Arnside bay meets saltwater coming in from the sea.

The Bore was particularly big today, said the spokesman, because of the high tides.

"The man didn't need any medical attention as he was just shocked," he continued.

"A lot of people go out to ride the Bore and today it was quite a big one."