St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club head lifeguard Sam Todd and senior lifeguard Sam Smith rescued the three swimmers who had been caught in a rip off an unpatrolled part of the beach.
A witness said the swimmers were playing in the surf near Lawyers Head about 4pm yesterday when the rip pulled them rapidly out to sea.
''It looked like one of the boys was trying to hold the girl up and that's all I saw because then I just bolted [for help],'' she said.
Mr Todd said when he arrived on the scene, a man had swum to shore but another male and two females were still in the sea and in trouble.
''I would have given them two more minutes,'' he said, given how distressed they were.
Mr Todd and Mr Smith pulled the man and one woman aboard the rescue boat, but the second woman was in shock and clung to the ropes attached to the boat while resisting attempts to help her.
''She was lethargic,'' Mr Todd said.
''She took a while to click. I had to literally look her in the eyes and say `Hi I'm Sam. I'm a lifeguard. I'm here to help you' before she would let go of the rope.''
The three people - all from Dunedin and in their 20s - were in shock and required medical help.
Surf Life-Saving New Zealand Otago-Southland operations co-ordinator Max Corboy said all four were very lucky their swim did not end in tragedy.
''It was a wee bit disappointing that people weren't swimming between the flags and were at an unpatrolled beach,'' he said.
The rescue had taken about 20 minutes because the lifeguards had to rush from St Kilda Beach.
Mr Corboy said the near miss provided a timely reminder for everyone: ''Swim between the flags and know your limits.''
''During the summer, people can't go swimming at beaches where it looks calm.''
Mr Todd said he and Mr Smith did not feel like heroes, as ''it's just our job''.
A St John spokesman said the three people were taken to Dunedin Hospital as a precautionary measure.
