“Outer Banks” star Chase Stokes is revealing how a frightening moment on set turned into a real-life rescue.

Stokes, 33, recalled saving costar Madison Bailey from drowning while the pair filmed an underwater scene for the hit Netflix series in Barbados. The actors opened up about the scary incident during an Aug. 20 interview with Entertainment Weekly while discussing some of the most challenging scenes they’ve shot for the show.

Bailey, who plays Kiara Carrera, quickly pointed to the show’s underwater work, joking that Stokes, whom she called a “fish,” made those scenes look easy. “When I’m struggling to barely swim, Chase is, like … I swear he’s breathing under there, just to make me look bad,” the 27-year-old quipped

Stokes then reminded his costar that he once came to her rescue.

“I did save your life one time,” he said, with Bailey chiming in, “A couple.”

Stokes said the incident happened in Barbados while filming a scene in which JJ, played by Rudy Pankow, is knocked unconscious off a boat and Bailey’s character holds him above the water.

Stokes said he was sitting on a small boat when he realized he could no longer see Bailey’s face. The actors had already been treading water for about a minute before filming began, making communication with the crew difficult.

“I was like, ‘Oh, no, Bails has been under there for a while,'” Stokes remembered. “So I jumped off the boat, and I realized that she was not able to breathe underwater.

Bailey said she couldn’t swim close enough to the boat, describing the ordeal as “a whole struggle.”

The situation was made even more frightening because, according to the actors, crew members initially appeared to believe what was happening was part of the performance.

“Everyone thought it was like, ‘Oh, wow! They’re in the scene. Like, this is great,'” Stokes said. “And I was like, ‘No, she’s drowning.'” Bailey confirmed the unforgettable on-set moment: “I was drowning.”

The pair joked that while Bailey was struggling in the water, those watching thought she was simply giving a convincing performance. “Everybody’s like, ‘Wow, she’s really good,'” Bailey recalled.

“Outer Banks,” which premiered on Netflix in 2020, stars Stokes as John B. Routledge and Bailey as Kiara alongside Madelyn Cline and Jonathan Daviss. The show’s fifth and final season is now streaming on Netflix.