MYSTERY surrounds the identity of a woman pulled from the sea yesterday.

The woman’s body was spotted by a fishing boat around half a mile south of Brighton Marina.

The emergency services were alerted around 9am and a huge operation was launched just off Ovingdean.

Members of the public watched on from the shoreline as the HM Coastguard helicopter, from Kent, hovered over the body in the water.

The crew then dropped an orange flare in the water to mark its location.

By this point Brighton RNLI, based in Brighton Marina, had been launched.

The crew could then be seen pulling the body out of the water on to the boat.

The crew carried out CPR on the woman, but she was later declared dead.

RNLI Brighton tweeted: “Launched to a person in the water just off Brighton Marina. Casualty recovered after a search with Rescue 163 Helicopter and CPR commenced.”

South East Coast Ambulance Service crews were also called and waited by the lifeboat station in case they were needed.

Sussex Police officers are now working to identify the woman and the circumstances of her death.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “At 10am this morning Sussex Police received a call from the Coastguard after a report of the body being found in the sea by a fishing vessel around half a mile south of Brighton Marina.

“Police are continuing to conduct enquiries in order to identify the deceased female.

“At this time the death is being treated as unexplained and the coroner’s office has been informed.”

Earlier this year the body of a naked swimmer was pulled from the sea near the British Airways i360, after a four-hour search operation in March.

In October the body of 28-year-old Thomas Rusling was spotted in the sea near Brighton Palace Pier. He had gone for an early morning swim.