Surfers helped Vic man washed off rocks

Local surfers helped rescue a man washed off rocks on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula before he was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

The man was one of seven people swept into the ocean at Cape Schanck on Sunday afternoon.

He was pulled from the water suffering hypothermia and breathing difficulties and was taken to hospital, where his condition has improved from critical to serious.

"He was pushed into the water for a brief time," an ambulance spokeswoman told AAP.

"I believe that local surfers helped to get him out."

The man was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital while the others were assessed at the scene but didn't require further treatment.

The group was back on land by the time emergency crews arrived.