A pair of Australian swimmers today became the first people to be rescued in the ocean by a drone when the aerial lifesaver dropped a safety device to distressed teens caught in rough seas.<br/>Australia is leading the use of the technology in surf lifesaving, with dozens of drones being trialled on beaches around the country.<br/><br/>In what is believed to be a world-first drone surf rescue, two boys today got caught in three-metre swells while swimming off Lennox Head in New South Wales, near the border with Queensland.<br/>Beachgoers onshore raised the alarm to the lifeguards who then alerted the drone pilot, and the aerial lifesaver was deployed in moments.<br/><br/>Lifeguard supervisor Jai Sheridan told the Gold Coast Bulletin that he was able to launch it, fly it to the location, and drop the pod all in about one to two minutes.<br/><br/>Along with their ability to spot swimmers in trouble and deliver life saving devices faster than traditional lifesaving techniques, like launching surfboards or rubber dinghies, drones are being used in Australia to spot underwater predators like sharks and jellyfish.<br/><br/>Artificial intelligence is being developed using thousands of images captured by a drone camera to build an algorithm that can identify different ocean objects.<br/><br/>The software can differentiate between sea creatures, like sharks which it can recognise with more than 90 per cent accuracy, compared to about 16 per cent with the naked eye.