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This footage shows an up-close view of the rescue of three stranded boaters that got attacked by sharks as they get airlifted and safely boarded onto a US Coastguard helicopter.

The trio were being battered by rough Atlantic Ocean waves 25 miles off the coast of Louisiana, USA, after being adrift for a whole day when the sharks attacked.

The boaters had been reported missing by a family member after failing to return on Saturday evening, 8th October.

They were found 25 miles offshore from coastal town Empire on 9th October adrift in the sea wearing lifejackets.

When US Coast Guard rescuers arrived they saw two of the terrified sailors trying desperately to keep the sharks at bay with their bare hands.

Crew on a rescue ship saw the pair’s hands had been bitten and rushed in to pull them from the sea before the blood drew more sharks.

One was experiencing signs of hypothermia, local media reported.

In the footage obtained by Newsflash from the US Coast Guard Heartland, the sailors can be seen being airlifted off the boat by a Coast guard helicopter diver who manhandled them into a basket so they could be winched to safety.

Footage from inside the helicopter shows them being covered with blankets by the rescue team as they rush to remove their wet blood-drenched clothes.

As the video cuts, they can be seen leaving the chopper on what appears to be the premises of the University Medical Center New Orleans, where they were reportedly taken for treatment.

They were reported to be stable and are being treated for shark bite injuries to their hands.

The Coast Guard reported that the boaters’ 24-foot centre console boat reportedly sank at approximately 10 a.m. Saturday morning, stranding them without communication devices.

Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Keefe, Sector New Orleans Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, said: “If the family member had not notified the Coast Guard, and if these three boaters were not wearing life jackets, this could’ve been a completely different outcome.”

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