Off-duty lifeguards rescued a surfer stranded in a rip for more than an hour off Ocean Grove main beach on Monday morning.
Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club was not officially manned during the incident, after Victoria’s lifesaving season concluded the day before.
But Life Saving Victoria (LSV) members were onsite to collect a rescue water craft.
“It’s just lucky they were still there,” said Ocean Grove resident Neville Forster, who first spotted the in-trouble surfer about 10.15am on a walk with wife Shirley.
“I don’t know how long he had been out there.
“We kept an eye on him – being a fellow surfer you keep an eye on the water all the time.
“We did our walk up to RAAFs [Beach] and back, and thought, ‘he’s not going to get out of there’.
“He tried to paddle out of the rip a couple of times but kept getting dragged back in. When he realised he couldn’t get out he put up his board like a tombstone.
“Once he put up his board I thought, ‘he’s pretty well had it’. He was about halfway out to bommies [the Bombora reef].
After seeing the signal for help, Mr Forster phoned Ocean Grove Coast Watch, which in turn notified water police and other authorities.
“[Ocean Grove Coast Watch] said it would be about 20 to 30 minutes before they could organise a boat to get out there,” Mr Forster said.
But LSV members at the surf lifesaving club collecting a jetski also the received the call for assistance and rushed to help.
An off-duty lifesaver used the jetski to tow the 21-year-old male surfer back to shore in stable condition by 11.25am.
“Once he got out I went down to see how he was.”
The surfer said he was a beginner, according to Mr Forster.
“He was relieved when he got back to shore,” he said.
“It was good they were able to help the bloke out.”
SLV state duty officer Darren McLeod warned water-goers that rips can “reach speeds faster than even the strongest swimmer” and urged them to check conditions at beachsafe.org.
“You can be caught off-guard and dragged out to sea when you least expect it,” he said.
