A young surfer and his rescuer narrowly escaped from dangerously rough seas during a dramatic rescue on the south coast on Sunday morning.
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A 13-year-old became trapped in rough, five to six metre waves at Bar Beach in Narooma before 8am.
The boy, who was surfing with a friend, was cold and exhausted, and too tired to handle the dangerous conditions, lifesavers say.
Rescuers were hampered by the rough seas, and it was decided the boy had to be plucked from the water by the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter.
But as the boy was being winched, a large wave struck him and rescue crew officer Luke Ashford.
Surf Life Saving Duty Officer Andrew Edmunds said the pair were lucky to escape unscathed.‘‘Conditions at the scene were very dangerous, we got our [inflatable rescue boats] in the water very quickly but it was decided the helicopter would be the safest option given the large surf,’’ Mr Edmunds said.
‘‘It was exceedingly dangerous and fortunate no lives were lost,’’ he said.
The boy’s friend made it back to shore unharmed.The rough conditions were expected to continue until Tuesday, and Mr Edmunds warned beachgoers to avoid the dangerous surf.
