Strangers on a Florida beach formed an 80-person human chain to help rescue members of a family who were caught in a rip-tide and pulled too far from the shore.

Roberta Ursrey and her family were enjoying the day at Panama City Beach in Florida when she noticed her sons were missing, the Panama City News Herald reported.

She went looking for them and soon found them screaming from the water that they were trapped by the current.

Others warned her not to go in the water, but Ms Ursrey, her mother, and five other family members swam to the boys' aid, but then found themselves also trapped in 4.5 metres of water.

Jessica Simmons and her husband had stopped for dinner at the beach and had just found a discarded boogie board when she saw people pointing at the water.

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After initially thinking they were pointing to a shark, she soon realised people were calling for help so she jumped on the board and began swimming toward Ms Ursrey's family.

Meanwhile, Ms Simmons's husband and other bystanders started a human chain to bring everyone back to shore.

Eventually, about 80 people were involved and got within metres of the family.

"There was two small children, a mother, a grandmother, an older son and a Chinese couple telling me they were so tired that they just couldn't do it anymore," Ms Simmons wrote in a Facebook post.

"They tell me to save the kids first, so I gave the little boy a boogie board and told the mom to hang on to it. After 15 [minutes], of me pulling them towards the human chain. The group of people PULLED him to shore like a chain.

"I took the boogie board and went back in and handed it to the grandmother, who at this point was barely alive. She was so out of it, that we couldn't keep her on the board.

"She looked right at Derek and told him: 'Let me go, just let me die and save yourself'. My heart sank. I was not going to let this lady die."

One by one, the chain of people towed the family back to shore.

Ms Ursrey's mother suffered a major heart attack during the ordeal and remains in hospital. A nephew suffered a broken hand. Otherwise, everyone was safe.

"I am so grateful," Ms Ursrey said. "These people were God's angels that were in the right place at the right time. I owe my life and my family's life to them. Without them, we wouldn't be here."

Deputy Fire Rescue Chief knocks back criticism

The deputy fire rescue chief said statements police and firefighters failed to act were "totally false". ( Supplied: Rosalind Beckton )

Ms Simmons also said that while the group of strangers were rallying together to save the group, five police offers sat on the beach without offering to help.

"I understand that officers may not be trained to handle a rip-tide and their clothes may weigh them down, but AT LEAST be part of the human chain. In my eyes, it was a disgrace," she wrote.

Larry Couch, the Deputy Fire Rescue Chief for Panama City Beach defended any claims that his team failed to act.

Tabatha and Brittany Monroe were caught in the rip-tide while trying to rescue the Urseys. ( Facebook: Tabatha Monroe )

He said when his rescuers arrived, two people were on the beach after being in distress in the water and they refused treatment.

At the same time, the group was forming the chain to help the six others struggling in the water. Fire department rescuers later brought two of those people to shore, Mr Couch said.

"The human chain, that was a great thing to happen," the deputy chief said. "But a lot of statements, that police and fire rescue didn't do anything, that was totally false."

Mr Crouch said his people towed two people in, one with the boogie board.

The swimmers were in the water an hour-and-a-half after the county and city's lifeguards had left the area.

AP/ABC