A major search and rescue operation swung into place last night after reports that a man was missing at sea.
A Brighton woman called the coastguard after she became concerned her son might have got into difficulty while out swimming.
She raised the alarm at 7pm after finding his mobile phone and wallet at home.
A coastguard search and rescue team based at Shoreham patrolled the coastline between Brighton Marina and the Palace Pier, while a coastguard helicopter based at Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire and the RNLI lifeboat based at Brighton Marina also joined in the search.
Later, an army helicopter with specialist infrared search equipment also joined in the hunt.
However, the search and rescue operation was called off after it emerged the man had turned up in the A&E department of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
A coastguard spokesman said: "It was a major search and rescue operation.
"Although it was a happy ending it shows how quickly we are able to respond."
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