At about 1.30pm on Tuesday September 23, a 20-year-old man from Mt Druitt and two boys, both aged 16 from Rooty Hill, had been swimming at the northern end of the beach when they got caught in a strong rip and were swept about 30 metres out to sea. 

Three locals: teenagers Brad MacDonald (pictured above) and Jai Wilson as well as Jarryd Clemenson had come in from a surf when they noticed the three men in distress.   

“I was walking towards my towel when a lady ran up the beach in distress yelling ‘help’ then I heard all these other people yelling out for help,” Brad MacDonald, who has been surfing for most of his life, said.  

“I looked up and could see three people in trouble. Jarryd went in first and I paddled out soon after him and then Jai did. 

“It all happened pretty quickly. By the time I got to one of them his head was almost under the water. He looked really tired. It was pretty intense. I just said ‘It’s all good mate stay calm’ and we all put them on our boards.  

“Where they were the surf would have been about two foot. It was pretty choppy. They got sucked out and were past the breaking waves in deep water. They wouldn’t have been able to stand up.” 

Paramedics checked the group as a precautionary measure as they showed signs of exhaustion. 

“Once they were back on the beach they sat down to catch their breath and about five or ten minutes later they were fine,” Brad said.  

“The lady came up to me and said ‘Thank you so much you saved their lives.’ The guys also came over and thanked us and said they were from Sydney and not used to the beach.” 

Brad is no stranger to rescues having helped save another man a couple of years ago in Forster.   

“I was about 12 or 13 and I was surfing with a mate and this man was snorkelling and he suddenly got stuck in a rip. My mate could hear him screaming out for help and said ‘We’ve gotta help this guy’ so we paddled over to him and got him on our boards and back to shore. It was pretty similar situation to the recent rescue.”

A few hours later, police were told a further two people had to be rescued at the same place. 

Police are urging anyone intending to visit the beaches in the coming months to swim only in patrolled areas.

“Surf Lifesaving Australia has clearly-marked areas on beaches in our region and work tirelessly to ensure beachgoers stay safe,” Manning Great Lakes Local Area Command Inspector Anthony Power said.

“But they cannot be responsible for those who choose to swim outside the patrolled area.

“NSW Police and NSW Ambulance are responsible with responding to emergencies such these, they cause extreme distress to those needing rescuing but also impacts on the rescuers and can divert emergency service personnel unnecessarily.”