One summer day. One beach. 80 precious lives saved.
How Trigg Island SLSC's volunteer surf lifesavers responded to one of their busiest summers on record.
Summer was an extremely busy time on our beaches, and thanks to the incredible work of our heroes in red and yellow, 5,522 people were given a second chance at life.
This was reflected around our Australian coastlines, and in Western Australia 773 rescues were recorded across the State. 128 of these lifesaving rescues were performed by Trigg Island Surf Life Saving Club, in what was one of their busiest summers on record. Eighty of these rescues occurred on January 19th – a number that drives home the critical impact our heroes in red and yellow have on the lives of many as we enjoy a day spent at the beach.
Two of Trigg Island Surf Life Saving Club’s lifesaving rescues involved some of our youngest members, Isaac May and Bo Watters, teenage volunteer surf lifesavers and friends who have been part of the Trigg Island SLSC community since they were young nippers. The bravery of our young volunteers and the incredible compassion and care they demonstrate by helping others in their most desperate time of need, should be commended.
Both rescues occurred at Trigg Island’s Blue Hole, a notorious area with a permanent rip located at the north end of the island. Bo recalls how he and fellow volunteer surf lifesavers, Todd and Bill, headed up on the ATV to check it out early in their patrol shift, after being told to keep an eye on the area due to the larger swell and the flash rips that were occurring.
“We saw a lady crying in distress and she said her husband was getting sucked out in the rip on his boogie board. We realised he had no fins, so he was getting sucked around the Blue Hole,” Bo said of the desperate situation the couple faced, the man battling against the dangerous rip as his distraught wife helplessly watching her loved one struggling in the terrifying conditions.
”I jumped up straight away and grabbed the board and raced out. I paddled through the rip and all the way out to him, behind the surf break and reef. He'd almost gone behind the island.
“When I got to him, I told him to hold onto the handle on my board with one hand and help me by kicking while still staying on the boogie board. The current was strong, so I had to paddle hard and there were waves breaking which made it tricky. I managed to find a gap in the reef with no rip, so I paddled into it all the way back to the beach to safety.
“I felt happy when I was back to shore and his wife was happy as well, everyone was relieved,” Bo reflected on the elation felt after the successful rescue.
Isaac was also on a roving patrol with fellow patrol member, Ellis. They were leaving when the tower radioed saying there was an extremely panicked woman stuck behind the Blue Hole and in a lot of trouble.
"Once I got her holding onto the board and she was safe, she kept saying, ‘thank you, you saved my life, thank you’.
“We raced a couple of hundred metres in the buggy, grabbed the rescue board and I paddled out past a few swimmers while Ellis radioed for backup,” Isaac recalled. “When I got to the woman, she was on her own, distressed, really fatigued and talking quickly. Once I got her holding onto the board and she was safe, she kept saying, ‘thank you, you saved my life, thank you’.
“She was really out of breath. Once I brought her back in, we asked her safety questions and updated the other lifesavers who had run and driven over. Other than being tired and super thankful, she was okay,” he said of the positive outcome for the woman and the rescuers.
Isaac and Bo reflected on why they give up their own time to volunteer. “It’s really great to know you can help and give back to the community. It makes you feel good and makes other people feel good too,” Isaac said. Bo echoed that giving back to the community is an important part of why he volunteers his time to patrol. “I really enjoy it,” he added. “It’s a good time with mates and also helps with job opportunities when I’m older.”
The maturity and care for the community demonstrated by both Isaac and Bo, is commendable. Not only do they both give up their own time to patrol and safeguard the many visitors to Trigg Island, but they also have rigorous swim and board training schedules, skills that they credit to helping them perform rescues confidently.
Incredible moments of hope and joy like the Trigg Island rescues have echoed across Australia throughout the summer and the first half of this year, with tragedies prevented and futures safeguarded.
But despite the heroic work of volunteer surf lifesavers like Isaac, Bo and the members of Trigg Island SLSC, 51 lives were lost to coastal drowning across Australia over summer, all outside the red and yellow flags or at unpatrolled beaches.
As we strive towards our mission of zero preventable deaths in Australian waters, we need the continued support of heroes like yourself to help us save more lives and reunite more people with their loved ones.
By making a tax-deductible donation to Surf Life Saving this End of Financial Year, you are playing an invaluable role in helping us prepare for another busy patrol season ahead.
Your support today, will help save a life tomorrow. Every single dollar has a lifesaving impact.
Where does my money go? Can even a small donation help? Your questions answered.
The SLSF was established to support our unique not-for-profit community cause that exists through community donations, fundraising, corporate sponsorships and government grants.
With over 180,000 members and 315 affiliated Surf Life Saving Clubs, SLS represents the largest volunteer movement of its kind in Australia, and the world.
- Maintain and replace lifesaving rescue equipment
- Enhance the training and development programs for volunteer surf lifesavers
- Expand community surf safety campaigns
- Fund aquatic safety research and development
- Continue to provide support services including communications networks, aerial patrols and powered watercraft
Every year millions of people visit our beaches, and thousands of these visitors find themselves in urgent need of a life saving rescue. This is what we are here for, to keep your family and friends safe in the water.
Your support today will ensure that millions of adults and children who visit the beach go home safely.
Did you know?
- It costs at least $850 to train a new volunteer to Bronze Medallion standard. Surf lifesavers are trained in First Aid, CPR and rescue techniques. Importantly, all of our lifesavers must continue to refresh and update their skills.
- Rescue gear and equipment are some of the largest costs associated with providing lifesaving services throughout Australia. A full life saving patrol can cost up to $80,000.
- Prevention is better than cure, and the best way to save lives at the beach is by teaching people how to stay out of danger. We run campaigns on how to spot rips and what to do if you are caught in one (swim parallel to the shore!).
No matter what area your donation goes towards, you can be sure that it will make a vital contribution to saving lives.
Could you give regularly?
As well as training new volunteer surf lifesaver, your monthly donation helps repair and replace the equipment that constant exposure to the sun and sea can damage. As a Guardian of the Surf your monthly donation ensures that we are rescue-ready at a moment’s notice. You would be the silent hero behind every life saved.