The man had been freediving with four friends off Maiden Island, at the northern entrance to Oban Bay, when he was found face down, unconscious and not breathing after surfacing from the water.

Oban RNLI was alerted to the incident on Monday afternoon after Stornoway Coastguard paged for assistance.

Two Scottish Ambulance Service paramedics accompanied the lifeboat crew.

The casualty was recovered from rocks on the north side of the island and treated with oxygen before being transferred to Lorn and Islands Hospital.

The man's condition is currently unknown.

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Ally Cerexhe, Oban lifeboat coxswain, said: "This was a multi-agency rescue, not just involving our colleagues from the Scottish Ambulance Service but also Coastguard teams on the shore and the Coastguard helicopter Rescue 199 from Prestwick.

"We'd particularly like to thank the crew of a local fishing boat who were helping on the scene when we arrived."

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said the alarm was raised shortly before 3pm.

They added: "We dispatched one ambulance to the scene and transported one male patient to Lorn and Islands Hospital."

Police Scotland was contacted for comment.