Source : Perth Now news
An off-duty Central Coast surf lifesaver rescued a teenager caught in a dangerous current at The Entrance Channel after spotting the trouble while eating lunch at home.
Soon after, he helped save a second man from the same stretch of water, prompting renewed warnings about the notorious black spot.
Harry Cornell, 24, told 7News he was at home eating lunch when he noticed trouble unfolding in the channel, a stretch of water long feared by locals for its fast-moving current and sudden drop-off.
“Looking outside my window, eating my lunch, I was just always consistently monitoring that water, luckily enough for that day,” Mr Cornell told 7News.
The lifelong member of the local surf lifesaving club ran straight to the water after spotting a teenager who had jumped in and become trapped in the current.
“As I ran over to him and grabbed him, wrapped him up in the tube, I noticed he couldn’t lift his arm up. He was in a pretty bad state,” Mr Cornell said.
“That’s when I noticed all the lacerations to his lower legs and limbs, so there was a lot of blood.”
As the teenager was treated on the sand, the emergency was far from over. A second person, a man believed to be in his 60s, was then swept into danger by the same current.
With another rescue unfolding, Mr Cornell turned to a group of teenage jet skiers nearby and got their attention. They raced in to help bring the man back.
“I’m not sure what I would have done without them,” he said.
However, after being rescued, the older man simply walked off without receiving medical attention.
Surf Life Saving NSW chief operating officer Phil Ayres praised the rescue effort, telling 7News its members are “always rescue ready” and have a culture of “giving back and helping community”.
Mr Cornell said The Entrance Channel was a notorious black spot and should only be used for fishing, not swimming.
“There’s that many drownings that are always there,” he said.
“It appears very shallow, even when the current’s not flowing, but there’s a really sharp drop off not far from shore.
“Just don’t swim there.”
