Rescuers raced against the tide after a woman plunged down a cliff and got stuck between two boulders on the Moray coast.
The 62-year-old was knocked unconscious when she fell about 20ft at Covesea near Lossiemouth.
Firefighters, coastguard teams and paramedics battled for more than an hour to free her from the rocks.
She was flown by air ambulance to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness suffering from a head injury.
And rescuers said she was lucky not to have been more seriously hurt.
Golfers continued playing at nearby Covesea Links – despite three fire engines, two coastguard teams and police vehicles parking just yards from the course.
Staff at the course became aware something was wrong when the woman’s husband arrived looking for help.
Owner, Angela Burnett, said: “He was pretty much in shock. The woman’s sister stayed there talking to her while he waited for the emergency services.
“The rocks out here are pretty scary. If the tide came in then they could have been in trouble.
“You don’t want to be down there in the wrong place at the wrong time if you can’t climb out.”
Fire crews were first on the scene and used specialist harnesses to get down the cliff to reach the woman.
Gordon Morrison, fire station manager in Elgin, said: “When we got there she was unconscious with head trauma.
“The way she fell, she slipped through a gap between two boulders and just went straight through.
“I think she got away with it. It’s incredible she came away without massive injuries.
“There was no way of moving her. We were lucky the tide was out but it was coming back in so we were fighting against the elements.
“It was definitely something out of the norm and very unusual.”
Slings and a back support were attached so the woman could be lifted to safety and one of the boulders was moved to free her.
Paramedics stabilised her on the beach before she was airlifted to hospital.
The Buckie lifeboat stood by just off the shore throughout the rescue operation.
Chris Harvey, from Cruden Bay, was at the golf course to create a 3D model of it and initially offered to help the emergency services.
He said: “Obviously we were concerned when we heard that someone was injured. The husband did everything by the book and had left someone there with her.”
Mrs Burnett warned the popular walking route was treacherous in places.
She said: “We often get people parking up to walk to Hopeman.
“You’re on the edge all the way along and if you’re not stable on your feet or it’s quite windy then you’ve got to be careful.”
A police spokeswoman said: “The woman slipped about 20ft on to rocks at the cliff edge. She slipped, fell backwards, got trapped and sustained a head injury, which was not serious.
“Originally the coastguard helicopter was going to be called to attend but it was decided to get the air ambulance instead.”
The accident happened around 10.30am on Saturday.
