A family with young children were saved from the incoming tide at Ravenglass.
Four children and four adults from Smithills, Bolton, were all brought to safety by a man from the village yesterday.
Ravenglass estuary is notorious for the fast-flowing incoming tide.
The family were seen on a sand bank in the middle of the River Esk estuary as the tide was coming in.
They twice attempted to cross from the sand bank to the shore, but were forced back by the swift incoming waters.
As the water level continued to rise, James Entwistle, of Ravenglass, recognised their peril and quickly fitted an outboard motor to his three-man Bombard inflatable dinghy.
Without any regard for his own safety, he set out to the sand bank on his own, to help the family, as the rising water was shrinking the available land area.
The rescue was in fast flowing rising eight metre tide.
Mr Entwisle first helped four young children, taking them to the estuary bank, returning to transport two women ashore, and finally returning to rescue the men crossing the incoming tide current to take them to safety.
After seeing all the party safely ashore on the estuary bank, he returned to the village in his inflatable dinghy.
Although the weather was warm, the incoming Irish Sea tide was cold.
Coastguard rescue had been called, but in view of the distance to both St Bees lifeboat and the Haverigg inshore rescue boat, Mr Entwisle decided to move quickly, without waiting for further aid.