This is the heroic moment a young paddleboarder was plucked from the sea by helicopter after being dragged from the coast by treacherous currents.

The girl - not named by officials - had been using the popular stand-up paddleboards (SUP) with two pals off the coast of Ferrol on north-western Spain's Atlantic shoreline on August 22.

But as she tried to get back to the coast, powerful currents dragged her further out to sea.

Dramatic rescue service footage of the drama shows the girl lying flat on her board as a coastguard officer swims towards her.

As he pulls her towards the rescue helicopter, she is attached to a winch and hauled to safety.

The two other paddleboarders had managed to make it back to shore on their own, reported local media.

The Spanish Maritime Safety and Rescue Society said in a statement released on Tuesday, August 23, and obtained by Newsflash: ‘Images of the rescue yesterday of a young woman on the beach of Frouxeira/Ferrol by the Helimer 402 [helicopter].

‘Three people were in trouble due to rough seas when they practised paddle surfing.

‘The other two athletes reached the beach by their own means in good condition.'