Video: Qld teen’s dramatic rescue while fishing at Double Island Point

Dramatic footage has emerged of a teen being washed off rocks at a popular Queensland tourist and fishing spot, as his mates scramble to save him.

For Gympie teens Jacob Reed, Sam Catlin, and Aiden Whiteman, a quick jaunt out to Double Island Point for a spot of rock fishing for tuna was supposed to be a fun day trip.

Instead it became an extraordinary life-and-death rescue effort when Jacob was washed off the rocks and into the ocean as the waters and weather turned bad.

The dramatic moments which unfolded at the popular tourist and fishing spot about 12km east of Rainbow Beach on April 13, 2024, have been revealed by the teens’ and Jacob’s family in hope it will save someone else’s life.

‘I thought you were dead’

The near 10 minute-long video, captured by Aiden and shared on his Whiteey’s Fishing YouTube channel, opens with a brief message from the avid fisherman in which he describes the events as “a hectic day”.

It started when Jacob’s first cast of his line ended with it being snagged on rocks and the teen descended to the waterline to try and free it.

The dramatic moments which unfolded at the popular tourist and fishing spot about 12km east of Rainbow Beach on April 13, 2024, have been revealed by the teens’ and Jacob’s family in hope it will save someone else’s life. Pictures: Aiden Whiteman, Whiteey's Fishing.

Only seconds after Aiden calls to the teen “I don’t reckon you’re getting it”, the day out takes a shocking turn when the then 15-year-old Jacob briefly turns his back on the ocean and gets swamped by a wave.

Aiden can be heard crying “oy oy oy don’t – f--k!” and “he’s in the water” as the Jacob is washed off his feet, and scrambles down the rocks to try and help the teen.

As Jacob bobs about 2m away from the rocks Aiden tells him to “try and swim towards us” Sam, still up the rocks, hands down a pole to try and aid in the rescue.

Aiden approaches the waterline with it and holds it out as Jacob is washed back towards them by a wave, and the teen manages to grasp the pole in one hand and the rocks in the other.

Jacob tries to climb up but another wave washes over him, knocking him back into the water as he desperately keeps hold of the pole.

Jacob tried to climb up but another wave washes over him, knocking him back into the water as he desperately keeps hold of the pole. Pictures: Aiden Whiteman, Whiteey's Fishing.

Aiden tells the teen to “try and get a foot grip” as he continues trying to clamber up the rocks as waves roll in.

They finally manage to get him seemingly to safety when another large wave rolls in, this time not only washing Jacob back into the ocean but nearly taking Sam – who had also climbed down the rocks to help – with him, too.

Following Sam’s narrow escape, Aiden calls out to Jacob “just don’t panic” as they frantically try and figure out how to pull him back to shore as the whitewash knocks the teen back and forth.

Aiden extends the poll towards the teen who misses on two attempts to try and then narrowly misses grabbing hold again on a third when a large wave crashes in, pushes him back up the rocks towards his mates, and then drags him back into the ocean.

Finally Aiden and Sam discard the pole tell Jacob to “try and grab the rocks” next time he is washed in by a wave, and saying to Sam “this is f----ed” as the emergency continues.

Sam finally grabs a thin red rope he has for use with a crab pot, which he and Aiden untangle before throwing it out to the tiring teen who has told them he is too exhausted to swim closer. Pictures: Aiden Whiteman, Whiteey's FIshing.

Sam finally grabs a thin red rope he has for use with a crab pot, which he and Aiden untangle before throwing it out to the tiring teen who has told them he is too exhausted to swim closer.

At this point he had spent five-and-a-half minutes in the water.

Jacob grabs hold and finally the pair are able to drag him back to safety with a cry of “holy f--k”.

“That was f-----g scary,” Aiden says as the teen stands on the rocks, bleeding from the legs and stomach thanks to an array of cuts suffered from being repeatedly bashed into them.

“I thought you were dead,” Aiden says.

“Hope it saves a life”

The video is introduced by Aiden who says the reason for its release was “education”.

“I don’t want kids’ going down there doing what we were doing on a s--t day of weather,” he said.

It is a sentiment shared by Jacob’s mother Katie, who in a post on her own Facebook feed said she “hopes it may save a life”.

Speaking Saturday, more than a year after her son’s extraordinary close call, Mrs Reed said Jacob initially told her he had taken “a bit of a fall on the rocks”.

Katie Reed said she was “incredibly grateful” to Aiden Whiteman (pictured) for his efforts to rescue her son from the ocean.

She took him to hospital to have his injuries cleaned up, and was then shown the video Aiden captured on his GoPro about a day later.

He still has scars on his stomach from the incident, she said.

She urged people planning any trip like rock fishing to make sure they were prepared if things go wrong.

This included packing a life jacket or a life ring on a rope.

“Be prepared for any situation you think may or may not arise,” Mrs Reed said.

“If something goes wrong, how can you get out of it safely?”

She was “incredibly grateful” to Aiden for his effort to rescue her son.

Jacob himself was “doing well” in the year after his close call and had not lost his love of fishing, she said.

Mrs Reed said the trio had the “best of intentions on the day” but did not change their plans when the weather did.

“They weren’t being reckless or irresponsible,” she said.