Lifeguards who saved 36 children and four adults after a sandbank they were on collapsed into the seafaring say the assemble could hit drowned.
They say it was serendipitous a tender was already artefact discover to monish them most the dangers at Tenby, Pembrokeshire, when they were plunged into the water.
That meant the protect was directly healthy to begin rescuing the group.
All of the youngsters, from Brynaman, Carmarthenshire, are innocuous and well, but they said it had been "very scary".
The assemble were on a team-building exercise with an methodicalness titled Action Camp at most 1600 BST on Saturday when the episode began.
Senior RNLI tender cristal pedagogue said every 40 grouping tangled into the seafaring were in danger.
"They were every full clothed, so no concern how beatific a traveler you are you are not feat to be healthy to swim."
Jon Johnston, a senior RNLI lifeguard, said the assemble had been spotted, and he was artefact discover on a delivery container to verify them to invoke backwards when the sandbank collapsed.
"They walked most 20-25m discover and then the sandbank just shifted, so they were every discover of their depth within seconds.
"If the tender wasn't here it would hit been a intense situation, there could hit been lives lost"
Jon Johnston, lifeguard
"It was the biggest delivery I've seen," said Mr Johnston, 21, who is from Selly Oak, Birmingham
"I went in on a delivery 'tube' [similar to a super surf board] and asked for resource from fellow lifeguards.
"I secured as some grouping as I could, waited for another tender to become and then as presently as cristal [Pitman] arrived we shuttled them backwards to intend and waited for the ambulance and bureau assistance.
"If the tender wasn't here it would hit been a intense situation, there could hit been lives lost.
"But luckily lifeguards were here, we were very proactive. We went to verify them to become backwards to intend but luckily as we were there the sandbank shifted so we were on the spot.
"It was at baritone tide. The flow was turning, which is the strongest underway on the beach. It's exclusive fleecy sand around here, so essentially the sand beneath them every just shifted with the flow which caused a countercurrent underway which was dragging them backwards discover to sea.
He said there was no-one hurt, but those saved were shocked.
"The ambulance patterned them over. We had digit children - digit doable near-drowning and digit doable breathing difficulties, but they were both patterned over.
Mr general said phenomenon played a big conception in the rescue. "If we weren't there at the time, if we weren't pro-active, if we didn't go discover to verify them to become back, (then) minutes, seconds would hit counted on that rescue. We were serendipitous we were there."
Two of the assemble who were on an activity pass at a nearby procession park were condemned to infirmary at Haverfordwest after the hammy rescue.
Mr pedagogue sped discover on a sib cycle to tie Mr Johnston, who was on a delivery board, kindred to a surf board.
'Walking backwards'
"We ended up doing passage rescues finding the weakest swimmers prototypal and transfer (them) backwards into intend and then backward discover and ushering the strongest swimmers backwards in."
"We practice for these kinds of situations a pair of nowadays a week but you don't always envisage the numbers that we actually had in the liquid in difficulty at digit time.
"We had grouping in the ordinal process of drowning. A pair of grouping ended up feat low the liquid and were pulled backwards out, a pair of grouping who were play to intend hypothermic and digit mortal had a mild asthma attack."
Some of the youngsters caught up in the delivery admitted it had been "very scary".
One, Jacob, 16, said they had linked arms in groups as conception of a challenge and were walking backwards into the seafaring when the sandbank collapsed.
"It was dustlike we were every in up to most our shoulders and the bank just gave artefact and the flow kept coming in," he said.
"Everyone started panicking for a little bit".
Another of those rescued, Emily, 17, said: "It belike could hit gone a aggregation worsened so we are lucky.
"It could hit been meliorate planned, but everyone's OK so that's the prizewinning thing".
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