A man has been rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being rescued from a remote beach in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.
A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said the man, aged in his 40s, had almost drowned after he got into strife at Flint and Steel Beach just after 2pm.
A helicopter arrives at Flint and Steel Beach in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park on Saturday.
Ambulance crews were first on the scene and arrived to find bystanders attempting to resuscitate the man.
The beach is only accessible via a steep bushland track, and emergency services were faced with a difficult task as they attempted to winch the man to safety.
The NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and NSW Police all assisted with the rescue effort.
After it was decided the best way to transport the man was by sea, he was transferred via a Rural Fire Service boat to a nearby port.
He was then handed over to an intensive care paramedic crew and transported to Northern Beaches Hospital, where he remained in a critical condition on Saturday evening.