TWO windsurfers were rescued from the sea off Christchurch by a lifeboat crew.

Coastguard tasked RNLI Mudeford to assist the casualties shortly after 12pm on Saturday.

Th windsurfers found themselves in difficult off Avon Beach when the high winds had dropped and the equipment they were using, which is designed for strong gusty conditions, could not be used to get back to the shore.

A spokesperson for RNLI Mudeford said: "The casualties were experienced windsurfers who had all the right safety equipment with them. They were using sinker boards, a special type of windsurf board to be used in high winds.

"The wind was westerly Force 7 when the windsurfers went out. When the wind dropped to a Force 4 there wasn’t enough wind for the specialist equipment and they were facing a long, cold swim back to shore.

"The windsurfers were part of a responsible group making their way back to shore as the wind dropped."

The lifeboat crew arrived on the scene at 12.22pm. They picked up the windsurfers and brought them back to the boat house.