Bodyboarder’s video captures family’s dramatic surf rescue

Dramatic footage of two young children and their mother getting into trouble in a rip at the breakwall at Port Macquarie shows just how easy it is for a Aussie summer beach swim to get dangerous. WATCH THE VIDEO

A Port Macquarie body boarder has captured dramatic footage of a near-drowning at a notorious break wall rip — demonstrating how quickly emergencies can unfold.

Adam Kesbah set his camera up on a break wall while he was bodyboarding on Tuesday.

His footage captured two young children getting sucked out by the rip and their mother’s ill-fated attempt to rescue them.

Both children were on bodyboards when they were swept out and their mother waded in to rescue them and quickly became caught in the rip as well.

Mr Kesbah says the footage is a warning to all beach swimmers, but particularly those who have not grown up around the Australia surf.

Port Macquarie breakwall. Picture: Alex McNaught/Roving-Eye.com

“They don’t realise and their parents don’t realise they are in a spot of bother — they haven’t watched Bondi Rescue and don’t realise what goes on as tourists on the east coast of Australia, but they are about to find out,” Mr Kesbah says of the footage.

Another second female also went to help the ground, and quickly sinks in the deep water.

Adam Kesbah was out body boarding and set up his camera on the break wall. It capture two children getting sucked out by the rip and their mother’s attempt to rescue them.

Realising how strong the rip is, she scrambles back to shore.

The mother then got stuck in the rip and was being dragged out along with her son.

Her daughter managed to make it to shore, as off-duty lifesaver Nick Rickwood, 25, headed out to assist the son and woman.

Rickwood, a Port Macquarie lifeguard had knocked off work at 5pm, just 30 minutes before the incident, was going for a jog when he saw what was going on.

Off-duty Nick Rickwood was jogging on the beach when he saw the incident and went into the water to help.

“I was running toward the break wall and I noticed four heads bobby out.

“The tide was running into the river, so it pulls out along the wall and wraps into the river — for anyone who has not experienced it is distressing.

A local ‘grom’ or young surfer named Bobby Thompson also came to the rescue, getting to the boy on his board and getting him into shore.

“I said you take the young boy and I’ll take the woman and drift round the break wall with the woman. The young dude was a legend to paddle against that current. He was awesome to get that kid in,” he said.

Mr Rickwood said the woman, a tourist, was panicking in the rip.

“It is one of the typical rescues we do. If the tide is running into the river that is the ironic benefit, it just takes you into the river and you climb up the break wall.

“I was calming her down — she was worried about the children,” he said.

The footage highlights how easy it is to get into trouble ahead of the summer break.

In September, the 2022 NSW Coastal Safety Report by Surf Life Saving NSW revealed 2021/22 recorded the highest number of coastal drownings on record – up almost 30 per cent on the 10-year average.

Last December to February also claimed the record for the most coastal and ocean drowning deaths over summer, with 25 fatalities recorded.

The National Drowning report from Royal Lifesaving Australia found 339 people lost their lives to drowning and we estimate a further 686 people experienced a non-fatal drowning incident between 1st July 2021 and 30th June 2022.