Three people and two dogs were rescued from an island in Strangford Lough after they were cut off from a causeway by rising tides.
The incident at Rough Island, close to Comber in Co Down, prompted a warning for visitors to the beauty spit to be aware of tide times and weather conditions.
A lifeboat at the Portaferry RNLI station was launched on Thursday afternoon after the alert was raised.
Rough Island is connected to the mainland via a causeway which is accessible at low tide.
“With weather conditions worsening and faced with a wait of several hours before the tide would drop sufficiently for them to safely walk back across the causeway, the decision was made to get them onboard the lifeboat and take them back to the slipway close to Island Hill car park,” an RNLI spokesperson said.
A similar rescue at the island took place last October when two people were stranded by the tide.
Lifeboat helm Scott Blackwood explained Rough Island is popular with dog walkers.
“As the tide comes in and covers the causeway, it quickly disappears from sight and you can go from ankle deep to very deep water in just a few seconds,” he said.
“We would urge anyone who lives, or regularly walks, close to the shore to download a tide times app and check it, and the weather, before venturing out. Should you find yourself in trouble or see someone else in difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.”