A Victorian fisherman was left about 200m offshore for four hours amid rising tides before police were able to winch him to safety.
Dramatic footage of the incident was released by Victoria Police on Monday revealing the dangerous situation the 56-year-old man from Mitcham found himself in.
Waves can be seen crashing over the rock the fisherman was clinging to at Bear Gully near Tarwin Lower, about 160km east of Melbourne.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the man had been fishing about 200m from shore when the tide came in.
“He noticed the tide come in around the rock and was unable to get back to the beach,” she said.
A friend on the beach was able to raise the alarm about 3.30pm on Sunday, with the Police Air Wing able to winch him to safety.
In the footage, officers can be seen descending onto the rock before pulling the man into a rescue helicopter.
Paramedics assessed the man at the beach but he was uninjured.