Three boys were rescued after they drifted 2 kilometres out to sea on a mattress off the coast of Alam Indah Beach, Central Java.

Footage from March 20 shows an officer from Gallawi Rescue Tegal in a kayak towing the boys back to shore.

Arif Rahman of Gallawi Rescue Tegal, who filmed the rescue, said the boys were aged 5 to 10 and were swimming at the beach.

"They found a used mattress and played with it. Two of them climbed onto the mattress, and one pushed the mattress into the water. After the three of them were on the mattress they were swept away by the waves into the sea," Rahman said.

Three boys were evacuated after being swayed around in the middle of the Indonesian sea.

They were carried away by the waves with used mattresses while playing at the Alam Indah Beach tourist attraction, Tegal city, Central Java province, on Sunday, March 20.

An officer from Gallawi Rescue Tegal, Arif Rahman who filmed the rescue effort, said the three boys aged 5 to 10 were initially swimming at the beach.

"They found a used mattress and played with it. Two of them climbed onto the mattress, and one pushed the mattress into the water. After the three of them were on the mattress they were swept away by the waves into the sea," Rahman said.

The coast guard officer from the Indonesian Navy who was on patrol saw something suspicious in the sea.

When approached, it turned out that the floating mattress with three boys on it had been washed away by the waves up to 2 kilometre into the sea.

All three were rescued in good condition.