A man who was swept out to sea by a riptide had to be saved by swimmers who rushed into the water.
The group, who were near Cromer Pier in Norfolk managed to get to safety but were “very tired”, the RNLI said.
They were “walking and talking” but required treatment from an ambulance crew on the town beach on Thursday evening.
Tim Ballard, of Cromer’s lifeboat team, said it was a “great outcome” to what was a dangerous situation.