A woman is in a critical condition after she was  pulled from the water at a beach on the Sunshine Coast. 

Emergency services said a man and a woman were swimming at Coolum beach, south of Noosa, at about 5pm when they got into trouble.

The man made it safely to shore but the woman — a 27-year-old from France — needed to be rescued by local lifeguards. 

Paramedics performed CPR on the beach for half and hour and she was taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a critical condition. 

Beachgoers said the man was seen in a highly distressed state. 

They say the incident occurred near the mouth of Stumers Creek, which is located halfway between Peregian and Coolum.

Three ambulances and four police cars attended the scene.

The woman remained in a critical condition on Thursday morning.