Bells Beach collision sees police, paramedics descend on Jan Juc oval

An air ambulance, police helicopter, police cars and road ambulances were all on scene at Bob Pettitt Reserve on Wednesday afternoon.

Police and ambulance helicopters landed on Jan Juc’s Bob Pettitt Reserve late Wednesday afternoon following an incident at Bells Beach.

A police spokeswoman said two paddle boarders collided about 4.30pm, resulting in paramedics transporting one person via road to Geelong hospital with minor injuries.

Incidents that occur in the water attract a heavy presence of emergency services’ air assets due to the risk of drowning.

It’s understood the men were “down winding” – riding stand-up paddle foil boards with a large keel. There were reports one of the men had been knocked unconscious.

Down winding involves riding ocean swells generated by surface winds, often across considerable distances.

Foiling and foil boards of different types have rapidly grown in popularity over recent years with a growing number of devotees on the Surf Coast.

Ocean conditions on Wednesday were very choppy with a strong south-westerly wind along the coast.

At one point, an air ambulance, police helicopter, police cars and road ambulances were all on scene at the Bob Pettitt Reserve.

The oval, which sits a few kilometres from Bells Beach, provides a clear landing zone for helicopters and has been used to move patients after several emergencies in the area.

An air ambulance at Bob Pettitt Reserve on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Supplied.

The incident comes almost a month after a Torquay doctor bravely rescued a group of teenagers from a dangerous rip at an unpatrolled Surf Coast beach.

Chris Hair, a gastroenterologist at Epworth Geelong, was on shore when he noticed a group of youths on surf boards drifting a long way out at Torquay Surf Beach, near the town’s surf lifesaving club.

After grabbing his board and heading into the water, Dr Hair helped guide three people out of the rip before paddling alongside them back to the shore.

Originally published as Bells Beach collision sees police, paramedics descend on Jan Juc oval