Two young swimmers who were just moments away from drowning in rough waters have been airlifted to safety in a dramatic rescue.
A 28-year-old woman went for a dip when she slipped on rocks at Dights Falls Reserve on Melbourne's Yarra River about 7pm on Tuesday.
Her friend rushed in to help her but the couple were soon swept away down the rapids, only managing to cling on to a rock as they floated by.
Crews from the Victoria Police Air Wing spotted the pair and arrived at the scene to winch both the man and woman to safety.
A young couple were airlifted to safety after getting stuck in the Dights Falls Reserve in Melbourne's Yarra River around 7pm on Tuesday
Footage obtained by Nine News shows the pair dressed in just their bathers sitting on the rocks as they waited to be pulled into the helicopter.
The couple were dropped at nearby Victoria Park and treated by paramedics.
Locals said they were surprised anyone went swimming in such rough conditions.
'There's rapids and it's quite dangerous. Very surprised, not sure what they were thinking but maybe with the heat they thought they'd cool off,' one said.
The 28-year-old woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Dramatic footage shows police crews airlifting the man and woman to safety after they were swept down the river
The pair managed to cling onto a rock as they were swept down the rapids before being rescued
