Chase Stokes saved ‘Outer Banks’ co-star Madison Bailey’s life during on-set incident

Chase Stokes revealed he saved his “Outer Banks” co-star Madison Bailey from drowning during a terrifying on-set incident.

The pair explained in a new Entertainment Weekly interview that they were filming a scene in the water when Bailey, 27, “almost drowned multiple times,” and Stokes, 33, came to her rescue.

“We were in Barbados and there’s a scene when JJ gets knocked off of a boat and he’s unconscious in the water and Kiara’s holding him up,” Stokes recalled. “I realized that I couldn’t see Bails’ face anymore.”

Bailey said they “were treading water” for a bit before action was called on the scene, while Stokes noted “it was really hard to communicate” in the moment.

“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 closer to the boat” so there “was a whole struggle.”

Both actors explained that some of the crew thought they were improving, and that the crisis was an actual scene in the show.

“I was like, ‘No, she’s drowning,’” Stokes said, adding, “I was like, ‘Hey that’s not acting.’”

Bailey added with a laugh, “I was drowning. Everyone’s like, ‘Wow, she’s really good.’”

Before recalling Bailey’s near-death situation, Stokes said “the underwater work” was the “most challenging” thing he’s ever done on five seasons of the show.

But Bailey clarified that filming underwater was her “hardest” part of filming, recognizing Stokes’ strong swimming skills.

“You actually make a bad day worse,” the actress joked. “When I’m struggling to barely swim, Chase is like [fake swims]. I swear he’s breathing under there just to make me look bad.”

Stokes and Bailey play John B. and Kiara, respectively, in “Outer Banks,” which dropped its fifth and final season on Netflix Thursday.

The series, which follows a group of teenagers in the Outer Banks community of North Carolina, also stars Madelyn Cline, Jonathan Daviss, Drew Starkey, Carlacia Grant and Austin North.

During an appearance on Netflix’s official “Outer Banks” podcast, Stokes opened up about the final moments between the cast and crew on the last day on set.

“It just all came to a close as the sun was setting, in true typical ‘Outer Banks’ fashion,” he said.

“It felt surreal,” Stokes added. “We were all just standing there with our arms around each other.” 

All five seasons of “Outer Banks” are streaming on Netflix.