Off-duty volunteer lifeguards rescued five swimmers who were caught in a rip at the unpatrolled St Kilda Beach yesterday.
One of the swimmers was seconds from drowning and two others got "a hell of a fright'', the group said.
The five lifeguards from the St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club were enjoying a day off work in the sun when their skills were called upon in three incidents between 12.45pm and 1.30pm.
Lifeguard Conall Duncan said he was surfing when he noticed the first man get into trouble.
"I saw him swimming in the rip and saw him dragged out and then he was climbing ‘up the ladder' [scrambling with his hands and feet to stay above the waves],'' he said.
Fellow lifeguard Anja Waugh said the man was "pretty cooked''.
Soon after the man was dragged back to shore on Mr Duncan's surfboard, the group noticed another pair of swimmers in trouble in the rip.
"Waves were washing above their heads and they were trying to paddle back to shore,'' Miss Waugh said.
"They were in conditions that were way too difficult for them. They were moving out to sea way faster than they could swim in.
"They obviously knew nothing about rip currents or how to get out of them.''
Mr Duncan said the pair were breathless and "pretty freaked out'' after their ordeal.
Cameron Wallace, who also assisted in the rescues, said the swimmers had come perilously close to losing their lives.
"Another 10 or 20 seconds later and at least one of those guys would have been gone,'' he said.
Soon after, the group had to rescue two other swimmers caught in the rip.
Miss Waugh said the five swimmers were lucky as the beach was unpatrolled and it was only by chance the lifeguards were there.
"The conditions were pretty dangerous,'' she said.
"Some of them were ridiculously close to drowning.''
The group placed danger signs on the beach after the three incidents and Miss Waugh said swimmers seemed to be attracted to the rip "like a magnet''.
People needed to take greater care and remember lifeguards were not always watching over them, she said.
"There will be no flags and no patrols on the beach [Monday to Friday].''
Mr Wallace urged all swimmers to "know your limitations''.
