A woman risked life and limb running into freezing waters to save her dog from drowning.
The footage, taken in Brighton, East Sussex, shows the woman struggling to rescue her pet after it was dragged out to sea.
Disappearing under the water for several seconds, powerful waves carried the woman back up the beach as the dog desperately tried to keep its head above water.
The fully clothed woman finally grabbed the bedraggled animal before she was hit by another wave and a bystander dragged the dog to safety.
She then stays seated before regaining composure and walking back to the beach from the sea herself.
Both the RNLI and coastguard have said the woman was lucky to not have been killed during the daring rescue on the seafront where the temperature is just seven degrees.
Alessando Intini, 41, watched the rescue and caught it on camera.
He said: “She was very confident going into the water, but after the first wave she was in shock, I think she was very lucky to come out alive.”
The unknown woman bravely runs into the sea in Brighton, East Sussex, after spotting her dog being swept out
The dog is barely keeping its head above the water in the dramatic footage where she wades into the 7C sea to help her dog
After seemingly gaining on the dog, a huge wave hinders her progress by dragging her under. The coastguard said she was lucky to be alive after the incident
The local coastguard Trevor Cutler warned people to never attempt self rescue as undercurrents in the sea can easily take people off their feet.
Jade Cohen, of the Brighton RNLI, said: “People can be tempted to go into the sea because they view their animal as part of the family.
“But in most of the experiences we see normally the dog finds it’s own way out, especially in this case the dog managed to get further up the beach than it’s owner.
“Obviously this woman has a love for her dog but it was a cold winter’s day and the waves were very high and it would have been better if she had called the RNLI rather than risk her own life.”
The video, captured by onlooker Alessando Intini, shows the dog swimming back to the beach by itself as the woman sits down
The pooch is then dragged onto the beach by a helpful walker as the woman recovers
Finally the woman emerges from the sea successfully with her dog being helped by others