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Dramatic pictures have emerged of two swimmers being rescued by a lifesaver after they found themselves in difficulty far from the shore, caught in a rip and battling large waves. 

The rescue took place on Saturday morning at Tamarama Beach, as weekend beachgoers flocked to the picturesque coastline in Sydney's eastern suburbs. 

The pictures show the two swimmers, one in a pink cap, wetsuit, and swimming goggles and the other dressed more casually in board shorts, clinging to either end of the lifesaver's surfboard. 

A surf lifesaver (pictured, centre) paddles out to rescue two swimmers having difficulty at Tamarama Beach in Sydney on Saturday 

Despite being repeatedly pummeled by large waves, which caused the brave, long-haired lifesaver to gasp for breath several times, the trio eventually made it safely to shore amid cheers from the watching crowd 

Large waves off Tamarama made the rescue difficult but the three (pictured) safely made it to shore to cheers from the crowd 

Despite being repeatedly pummeled by large waves, which caused the brave, long-haired lifesaver to gasp for breath several times, the trio eventually made it safely to shore amid cheers from the watching crowd. 

While the weather was not ideal for beach Saturday in Sydney - being overcast with the occasional patch of sunshine - that did not stop locals keen to get out for some fresh air and enjoy the surf. 

The city is set for more of the same on Sunday with cloudy weather forecast and the showers likely. The temperature is set to be a minimum of 10C with morning fog, warming up to 17C in the afternoon.

Further south, wild winds whipped up the waves along southern NSW prompting a warning from Surf Lifesaving CEO Steven Pearce. 

'Surf conditions from Eden up to Illawarra may become extreme. We are urging members of the public not to engage in coastal activities that might put them at risk,' Mr Pearce tweeted on Saturday afternoon. 

While the weather was not ideal for beach Saturday in Sydney - being overcast with the occasional patch of sunshine - that did not stop locals keen to get out for some fresh air and enjoy the surf (pictured, the life saver in action)

Crowds of onlookers cheered as friends of one of the rescued swimmers (pictured) rushed out to help the weary woman up the sand 

In March this year beaches across the Sydney area were closed to reduce crowds and combat the spread of COVID-19, with police patrolling the sand in large numbers. 

Earlier that month pictures had emerged of hundreds of beachgoers crowding popular locations such as Bondi despite repeated warnings from health authorities to adhere to social distancing.  

Beaches were reopened in May but crowds are limited based on public gathering caps and sunseekers are required to maintain the 1.5 metres distance recommendations.  

Tamarama Beach is one of 129 surf clubs that belong to Surf Life Saving New South Wales and are located along the entire stretch of the NSW coastline. 

The organisation is made up from a network of volunteer surf lifesavers, professional lifeguards and support operations who patrol the sand on the state's many beaches.  

Across Australia Surf Lifesavers and Lifeguards are estimated to rescue 30 people each day on average in the beach season. 

The running costs for the organisations are sourced from a number of different areas including fundraisers, corporate sponsorships, government grants, philanthropists, and the proceeds from club venues which often include restaurants and bars. 

Large waves off Tamarama Beach on Saturday (pictured) provided excellent conditions for surfers with many paddling out to catch a wave to kick off the weekend 

Despite signs being put on place in some parts of the beach by lifesavers, surfers were keen to make the most of the waves (pictured, on Saturday in Tamarama)