One man was airlifted and two others made it ashore after they ended up in the water on Loch Ness.
The alarm was raised just after 3.10pm after reports of people in the water off the Urquhart Castle area, near Drumnadrochit.
The Inverness Coastguard helicopter and Loch Ness Lifeboat were sent to the scene.
A Coastguard spokesman said: “Three people, we believe to be men, were reported in the water at Loch Ness.
“Two managed to make it safely ashore either by themselves or help by police on the Foyers side.
“The helicopter managed to rescue the third person.”
He said they were reported to be in some form of rib craft, dinghy or kayak.
The spokesman added that they were described as being “cold, but not critical”.
A police statement said: “Following reports of three person experiencing difficulty in the water on Loch Ness, a multi-agency response was instigated involving Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Recue Service, Coast Guard (deploying both water and air assets) and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“Two of the persons managed to make it to shore with the third being airlifted from the water. All three persons were found to be suffering from the effects of the cold and were conveyed to Raigmore Hospital for treatment.”
