Coast Guard rescuers airlifted a 26-year-old Benicia man from Red Rock nude beach to Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame Saturday after he broke his ankle in a freak accident.

Stinson Beach Fire Chief Kendrick Rand said Douglas Korete was walking along the beach at around 10 a.m. when he stepped on a rock and suffered a compound fracture of his right ankle.

"It wasn't a very big rock, but it was big enough that it twisted his ankle to the point where it snapped," Rand told The Light Monday. "It was a pretty bad break."

Rand said a helicopter was called in to airlift Korete out of the remote beach because it would have taken at least 45 minutes to transport him to an ambulance via stretcher.

"It would been very difficult to do and very painful for the man," Rand said. "With the helicopter, we got him out and to the hospital in a matter of minutes."

Rand said that although the helicopter's arrival made the rescue seem dramatic, "It was very routine. It was something we do all the time."

Surgeons operated on Saturday to repair Korete's ankle, and hospital officials say he is in good condition.