A MASSIVE sea and air hunt for a missing skipper off the coast of Studland ended in tragedy.

Swanage lifeboat crews sent up parachute flares as they searched for the 71-year-old Swanage man in the early hours of this morning. He later died in hospital.

He had been ferrying crew members from the shore near the Bankes Arms, at Studland, back to their 47foot Musketeer Stutton in a dinghy when he went missing.

The Portland Coastguard helicopter, Swanage’s RNLI inshore and all-weather lifeboats and Swanage and Poole coastguard rescue teams launched the search following 999 calls from the crew at 11.45pm.

An upturned dinghy was found shortly before the unconscious skipper was recovered at around 1.30am.

RNLI crews carried out CPR and he was airlifted to Poole hospital, where he later died.

The coroner and next of kin have been informed.

A post mortem is yet to be carried out.

Dorset Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious.