Teen lifesaver’s heroic rescue at Warriewood Blowhole after cliff jump disaster

A 16-year-old lifesaver battled rough surf to rescue a group of boys stuck inside a cave after a cliff jump ended in injury. 

A teenage lifesaver has been praised for her heroic effort to rescue three boys from a cave in Sydney’s northern beaches after a cliff jump left one of them injured.

Beaches across Greater Sydney were packed on Sunday as locals tried to escape the heat. with temperatures soaring to 37C near the coast and 40C in the far west.

A 15-year-old was left semi-unconscious after jumping from the cliff over Warriewood Blowhole, north of Manly, and slamming his head on the water about 2pm.

A group of three boys became stranded in a cave near Warriewood Blowhole about 2pm on Sunday. Picture: Nine

Sixteen-year-old lifesaver Saskia Rundle Towbridge dived into the water to rescue them. Picture: Nine

The teen’s two friends clambered over rocks and moved him into a cave below the cliff but quickly became stranded as waves pounded the rocks.

Lifesaver Saskia Rundle Towbridge, 16, was quick to hop in the rubber duck and manoeuvre her way through the crashing waves to rescue the boys.

“The waves were pretty big, especially when I was coming in,” she told Nine.

“I got thrown up against them, and the cord of my rescue tube was stuck on the rocks, so I was being battered for about two minutes.”

She eventually made her way onto the rocks and was able to swim the boys back to the boat.

One of the teens had slammed his head on the water after diving from the cliff. Picture: Nine

Saskia said she was battered by waves for about two minutes. Picture: Nine

The injured boy was treated by lifesavers on the sand before an ambulance was called when he struggled to remember where he was.

He was taken to Northern Beaches Hospital in a stable condition.

While thousands flocked to beaches across NSW, authorities urged locals to avoid the heat and stay indoors.

“Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Experts suggested seeking a place to keep cool, such as a library or shopping centre, and to close windows and draw blinds early in the day to keep the heat out of the home.

NSW was just one of three states sweating through severe heatwave conditions on Sunday, with warnings issued in Queensland and Western Australia.

In northern WA, a high of 48C was forecast in Mount Augustus and Paraburdoo and temperatures are expected to remain above 40C until midweek.

Originally published as Teen lifesaver’s heroic rescue at Warriewood Blowhole after cliff jump disaster