Four people were rescued and ushered back to safety Friday after their paddle boat was swept out beyond the Golden Gate Bridge Friday morning.

Tourists Ed and Rachel Federman and Alex Perez joined San Francisco's Robert Gurman and a pet poodle on his paddle boat outside Chrissy Field. The group went out past the bridge and got caught in a riptide. That's when they called 911.

"We got past the bridge and we tried to turn around and the tide was just too strong and we were just making no progress coming back in," said Ed Federman, a Stow, Mass resident.

KTVU NewsChopper 2 captured the rescue as a boat brought the four people in who were swept out to sea.

"I was absolutely freaking out," said Rachel Federman of New York City. "It was so terrifying."

They called 911 and the Coast Guard, and a San Francisco Fire Department rescue boat rushed to the scene, about 100 yards beyond the Golden Gate Bridge

"I just basically knew that I was not controlling the boat, that it was not in our hands anymore, the sea was just taking us away," Alex Perez said.

San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Paul McDonagh said the dog was smarter than the other four passengers.

"None of them had life preservers or floatation devices, except for a poodle," he said.

San Francisco Fire Station 16 firefighters, including a jet ski operator, returned them close to shore.

No one was injured.

"We gave them a little lecture about life preservers and being out there with that kind of boat," McDonagh said. "Those conditions out there are very, very dangerous and they can change in minutes."

Gurman said he's gone under the bridge before and come back, but the current is always different and people have to be aware.

Firefighters warned that people need to bring lifesaving equipment with them when they head out on the bay.