Riley Rihari relives her incredible rescue at Teewah

A seven-year-old was on a day trip from Brisbane when she became caught in a powerful rip at Teewah. What happened next saved her life.

A seven-year-old girl has relived the terrifying moment she was saved from drowning after being caught in powerful rip at the northern corner of Teewah Beach last weekend.

Riley Rihari and her family were driving along the northern corner of Teewah on Saturday, August 21, when she and her two siblings were left in the care of a family member and friend while their parents took a break.

Riley and her family were on a beach driving trip when they decided Teewah Beach (pictured) would be their last stop. Photo: Facebook

The pair, who wish to remain anonymous, watched the three kids as they went swimming about 5m from the shore, but were oblivious to how close a powerful and ‘notorious’ rip was.

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Unaware of the danger she was in, Riley said she stepped into a hole and suddenly found herself caught in the current, unable to fight it.

She said she was scared but managed to keep her head above water until a good Samaritan called “James” came to her rescue, closely followed by the family friend.

“I was panicking a little bit, because I’d never been (in a rip) before,” she said.

“I thought that I was going to be pulled to another beach, and that I might actually drown.”

Riley (middle) and her two siblings, Tane (left) and Tyla (right) at Rainbow Beach. Photo: Melissa Rihari.

After realising the men could not fight the current, a surfer came to their aid and put Riley on his board, with the others clinging on to its sides and using the waves to propel them towards the shore.

Rily’s dad Anthony said he and his wife Melissa were in a state of shock and guilt after hearing what happened.

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“The idea that we could potentially have never seen her beautiful smiling face again was an incredibly sobering thought,” he said.

“Her words to us were ‘I was fine and then I stepped into a hole and it just took me out’.”

Mr and Mrs Rihari said they wanted to thank everyone involved in Riley’s rescue.

“We can’t even find the words to thank our friends, who know and adore our children, let alone two complete strangers,” he said.

Anthony Rihari was contacted by a lifeguard after what happened to Riley, who told him the area of the beach had a known rip, despite lifeguards not patrolling the area and no signage warning beach goers.

“From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for everything you did last Saturday, we appreciate everything you did to make sure our little girl came home to us.”

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Mr Rihari said after Riley’s experience, he and his family want to start a campaign for signage warning beachgoers of the dangerous area, to protect anyone from going through the same horrific experience.

Originally published as Riley Rihari relives her incredible rescue at Teewah