The moment hero lifeguards swim out to save a drowning woman has been captured in a dramatic series of photographs.
They show the flailing swimmer's terrifying ordeal from start to finish as she screams for help before being picked up from the swirling surf and taken ashore.
The swimmer screams for help as she tries to stay afloat off the coast near Sydney, Australia
Rescuer Troy Stewart is seen darting through the water and thrashing his way out to the struggling woman.
She had swam out to take a morning dip in the ocean off Bronte Beach near Sydney, Australia when her nightmare began.
She is barely able to breath as the lifeguards rush out to save her from the massive swells
Fellow lifesaver Andrew Reid said that he had noticed the intense swirling waves and joked to a colleague that he would not want to be out swimming in the dangerous swells.
It was then that he noticed the woman waving and screaming for her life.
The woman appeared to go under for the last time just as her rescuer arrived
Andrew told Daily Mail Australia: "I started running down and saw she was in a precarious spot copping 10ft sets — she looked tiny and all I could think was how did she get out there?"
He and his colleagues ran to the water and each raced to reach the woman — with pal Troy getting to her first.
Lifeguards made it to the flailing woman just in time to save her
The dramatic images show him scooping the exhausted woman from the waves and placing her on his surf board before steering back to shore.
Andrew added: "I've seen a lot of people drown and I can say I think she was going under for the last time.
"But then Troy got to her and pulled her up, it was amazing to see."
She is overcome with relief as a hero lifeguard grabs her from under the water
As if their heroics weren't enough — another swimmer who had bravely tried to reach the struggling woman needed rescuing himself.
Lifeguard Anthony Carroll pulled the man from the water before heading to the flailing woman along with his colleagues to see if he could help.
Lifeguards thrashed through the powerful waves to make it out to the struggling swimmer
Another guard, Wally Eggleton, also aided in bringing the woman back to shore.
Mr Reid added that the "very lucky lady" probably owes her life to her fearless rescuers — who are all decorated surfers.
The hero guards made it out to her just in time to keep her afloat
He said: "She had two of the country's best surf swimmers at the beach this morning, Troy Stewart and Wally Eggleton".
The woman was said to have been extremely grateful once she got her breath back on the shore.
The lifeguards placed her on a surf board to take her back to shore
But humble Andrew added: "I'm a very small cog in that wheel today but great effort gets great results".
Another rescue was going on simultaneously as a man who tried to bravely help the woman got into trouble
The exhausted woman was transported back to safety on a hero lifeguard's board
The exhausted woman was dragged to her feet after being taken back to shore
She was left completely lifeless after the draining ordeal
Lifeguards said the woman was so grateful to her hero rescuers