THE first time big wave rider Tony Lawson heard about Sunday’s surf emergency off Narooma was minutes after the boy got into trouble.
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He received several phone calls at 8am, including from his tow-in surfing partner Morgan Evans, asking where he was and whether he could get his Jet-ski onto the water to rescue the novice tourist surfer.
Unfortunately he was on his way up the Princes Highway on his latest fishing adventure to catch Spanish mackerel off northern NSW.
Fortunately for the boy, the Westpac rescue chopper was already on its way.
It was just two days earlier that Tony and Morgan were relishing the same big surf off the Narooma bar.
Far from novices, these locals are experts using a powerful Jet-ski to nimbly manoeuvre through the waves judging the gaps and when to tow-in their buddy onto the face of a wave.
Tony said Friday’s wave was about as big as it gets on the Far South Coast and perfectly formed.
Still it was not as big as waves experienced locally as recently as February.
He said lives could be saved in big seas off the Narooma bar if the handful of locals capable of driving Jet-skis in massive waves had access to these craft if they were stationed as close as possible to the entrance.
“I can name a handful of blokes in Narooma that I would trust my life to out there,” he said.
The Narooma Marine Rescue unit however currently holds Jet-ski rescue duties, and is the first MR unit in NSW to institute a Jet-ski rescue program.
Prior to that, the Volunteer Rescue Association, who unsuccessfully lobbied for access at either the old and new wharf, operated the Jet-ski rescue service in Narooma.
Marine Rescue is now hoping to expand its jetty berth at Mill Bay so that its Jet-skis can be based there.
When the seas were huge as they were over the weekend, it takes a very experienced wave rider to be able go out and rescue stricken surfers, swimmers or boaters.
And ironically these sorts of individuals are often not the type to join a regimented organisation.
For those who are interested in finding out more about the Marine Rescue unit services, contact commander John Young on 0450 022 481.
Read the full account of Sunday's rescue at:
