The Bundaberg-based LifeFlight aeromedical crew winched a paddleboarder after he drifted out to sea off the coastnear Bundaberg this afternoon.
The teenager was seen getting blown offshore due to strong winds at around 2:30pm.
A civilian helicopter first spotted him roughly two kilometres from the beach and circled before they directed the LifeFlight rescue helicopter to his exact location.
Wearing only a pair of shorts, he seemed to be suffering from hypothermia, and a rescue crewman was winched into the water below. A rescue strap was fastened to the teen and both were winched into the aircraft.
The rescue chopper then landed at a nearby oval where the patient was assessed by the LifeFlight critical care doctor and a Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) flight paramedic where he was treated for mild hypothermia.
No further medical intervention was required and hospital transport was not needed.