Surfers Save

Words: Mark Rosenberg

Surf lifesavers can't patrol all the long stretches of Australia's coast, and inexperienced swimmers really should stick between the flags. But in some of the more remote locations surfers are regular visitors who know the local conditions best. Photo: Sergio Dionisio/Getty Images

Surfers have been involved in two separate rescue missions over the weekend, stepping in when lifeguards weren’t present. Despite heroic efforts by the quick thinking men, tragically two people still passed away. The efforts of the rescuers demonstrate that with surfing ability comes responsibility. Surfing Australia have been investigating whether surfers would benefit from formal medical training and these two instances suggest the idea would help make Australia’s beaches safer.

Lennox Head’s Jock Barnes came to the aid of a group of four Korean men who got into trouble while swimming in Ballina’s Richmond River. Despite Jock’s best efforts one man passed away, while the other three are all now in a stable condition in hospital. According to occasional ASL contributor Barnesy, the men simply shouldn't have been anywhere near the water. "I teach surfing on the River at a spot near the Missingham Bridge that has a tiny little wave occasionally. If you can get in to trouble there, you probably shouldn't even be at a pool unsupervised." Jock was clearly spooked by the tragedy, but wanted to stress the importance of swimming between the flags.

Meanwhile sunny skies in Victoria saw beaches swarming with those looking to escape the heat. Mornington Peninsula man Robbie Warden was checking the surf at Urquhart’s Bluff on the Great Ocean Road when he saw a group of people caught in a rip.

“I noticed some kids getting sucked out, and then some older women, I guess their mothers, waded out to save them. They were instantly swept off their feet and in trouble. I swam out and grabbed one of the kids before as the others got swept out to sea,” says Robbie.

“Returning to the beach I phoned emergency services to reach the lifeguards but it was disconnected. A longboard was sitting on the beach so I grabbed that and started trying to bring them in. It was about twenty minutes before the rescue helicopter and lifeguards turned up. Luckily there were other surfers to help keep the other people safe whilst waiting for help."

The rescue helicopter at Urquarts Bluff, past Anglesea on The Great Ocean Road, Victoria. Photo: Cormac Hanrahan/news.com.au

Surfers have always plucked troubled punters from the ocean but unless there’s a fatality the media rarely report it. If there was some kind of formal training for surfers beaches could be even safer, which is something Surfing Australia are investigating.

“Anecdotally, from within the surfing community we know for a fact that surfers perform a large number of rescues, many of which are not properly accounted for,” says Chris Symington, General Manager of High Performance and Sport Development at Surfing Australia. “At the moment we are gathering research to try and quantify the contribution surfers make to water safety around the country, and how we can potentially be of more assistance in the future.”

What do you think? Would you take a surf specific medical training course to help lifeguards do their job?