Story highlights The lifeguard-piloted drone got to the men within 1 to 2 minutes

They were exhausted but unharmed

(CNN) Caught in rough surf far from shore, stranded swimmers might hope for a lifeguard to appear amid the waves.

But for two men recently rescued off the coast of Australia's Lennox Head, New South Wales (NSW), a different kind of savior showed up: a drone.

In what's being hailed as a first-of-its-kind rescue, the new lifesaving device -- the Little Ripper UAV -- flew into action after someone spotted the swimmers in distress in a nearly 10-foot (3-meter) swell more than a half mile (about 1 kilometer) off a patrolled area, Surf Life Saving NSW said in a news release

Within minutes, lifeguards piloted the drone to the men and dropped an inflatable life preserver.

The two clung to the rescue pod and made it to shore, where lifeguards were waiting, Surf Life Saving NSW said. They were exhausted but unharmed. And the drone had recorded the whole rescue.

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