World champion skier Ivica Kostelic was rescued in a dramatic sea operation after his kayak was swept two miles out to sea during a 50mph gale.

Kostelic, a Croatian-born Olympic medalist, and French kayaker Mathieu Maynadier were paddling down the Buna River between Albania and Montenegro when a third pal's craft capsized.

Dramatic helicopter footage shows the 45-year-old skier and his companion clinging to their kayak after a five-hour search. The grainy thermal images reveals Kostelic gripping the side of the boat in what rescuers described as 'extremely bad weather conditions'.

The trio had been kayaking to the mouth of the Buna when strong winds overturned one watercraft, sending the paddler into the sea on March 10.

The water sport enthusiast managed to scramble back to shore to raise the alarm, while powerful currents carried Kostelic and Maynadier away.

By the time the Montenegrin Navy had scrambled search ships, the stricken pair had been dragged miles out to sea in towering 15ft waves.

The men were found close to midnight and pulled from the sea before being taken for medical treatment at Bar General Hospital in Montenegro.

Montenegrin Maritime Security Administration told local media: 'Three people in kayaks were in complex and bad weather conditions.

'There had been a rollover of one kayak, after which strong currents swept away the other two people, a Croatian and a French national.

'The SAR-1 rescue boat sailed off immediately. Due to the deterioration of weather conditions, helicopters from the Montenegro Army with thermal imaging cameras helped in the search.'

They added: 'After search and rescue operations in extremely bad weather conditions, the helicopter found two people who were 1.7 nautical miles away from the Buna River.'

A grateful Kostelic visited the rescue boat the following day to thank the crew.

Kostelic, a skier, won four Olympic silver medals and took gold in slalom at the 2003 Alpine World Ski Championships.