Lyme Regis lifeboat was called into action twice on Thursday.
The volunteer crew scrambled in the morning following reports that a red flare was seen at Charmouth.
They were contacted by the Coastguard at 10.30am. Some 15 minutes later the crew arrived on scene and conducted search patterns near Charmouth and further out to sea.
Further information was then provided by members of the local coastguard rescue team that the flare was found ashore and not out to sea, so the crew was stood down. They returned to station and were ready for service by 11.30pm.
The crew answered their second call of the day at 3.12pm following reports that a 19-year-old man was in difficulties in the sea off Abbotsbury.
he was reported to be struggling to get back to the beach and the alarm was raised by a friend ashore.
A coastguard helicopter arrived on scene just before the lifeboat and the man was winched to safety and taken to hospital in Dorchester.
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