Remarkable footage has captured the moment a British father risked his life to rescue a fellow tourist who was struggling in dangerous surf at a newly opened beach in Bali.

Ian Fisher was visiting Melasti Beach in Uluwatu with his wife Clare and their three children – Kallan, 14, Maddison, 12, and Abel, 5 – when he noticed a panicked crowd pointing towards the ocean.

The family had originally planned to have lunch elsewhere but changed course after their driver recommended Melasti Beach, describing it as “the nicest beach in Bali”.

“As we arrived we could see a commotion and people pointing and running around in panic,” Clare told news.com.au.

“Ian noticed that someone was in trouble – they were clung to a wooden pole very close to the rocks.

“The waves were sucking her into the them and she was stuck out there with the water crashing over her head.”

Clare said her husband entered the water almost immediately, taking an orange flotation ring to try and save the woman.

“I didn’t get to say anything to him and at first I wasn’t too worried, he was a lifeguard when he was younger, but not for the sea.”

Despite his experience as a strong swimmer, Clare said the conditions were “really dangerous” due to the swell, strong currents and the proximity of rocks.

She added that the situation “could [have] ended badly for everyone”.

“He got out to her and we could see they let go of the pole but a wave came in and it looked like they were gone.

“But when the wave dropped we could see they were making their way in and another person had joined to help,” she said.

Footage recorded by Clare and shared on the couple’s Instagram shows beach bar workers assisting in the rescue by throwing a rope from a deck above the rocks.

The rope was secured to the decking and fed down to Ian to help pull both him and the woman to safety.

“They finally made it back in after what felt like forever and everyone celebrated,” Clare said.

Speaking to news.com.au, Ian said he did not feel fearful for his life during the rescue, but reflected on the risks afterward.

“I was however well aware of the risks,” he said.

The former lifeguard said his training was helpful, “but it was never for the ocean and as we know, it can be so unpredictable”.

The rescue took approximately four minutes, though Ian said the effort of swimming back against the sea made it feel much longer.

“[I] was doing everything I could but only moving a few inches.”

He said the most difficult moment came after they released the wooden pole.

“The swell was strong as well as the under currents. There was a moment I thought, ‘sh**’. “[But] luckily the wave broke good for us and I was able to pull us both away.”

Ian said the woman was extremely grateful but visibly distressed and in a state of panic following the ordeal.

It is understood red no-swim flags were raised at the time.

“While I understand that there are strong swimmers out there who feel they can handle the sea, they can influence others by ignoring the flags so I think it’s really important for everyone to obey the flags,” Clare said.

The family, who travel full-time, are currently in Bali for six weeks before travelling to Australia.

“Bali is one of our favourite places in the world so we like to spend extended periods here,” Clare said.

“We’ve just left Uluwatu and are now in Ubud before we head to Tabanan on the West Coast which is a very quiet, local and beautiful place. After this we are doing a road trip in a camper van down the west cost of Australia.”

Their travels can be followed on Instagram under the handle ‘traveltheworldfamily’.

Images: Instagram