Three high school students from Woolgoolga High School on NSW’s Mid-North Coast have been praised for their bravery after saving the life of a female tourist caught in a rip.
The incident occurred on March 1, just after the boys had finished a school surfing lesson.
Year 9 student Finn Casper noticed the swimmer was in trouble and immediately called out to his schoolmates, including Year 8 student Koby Kudrins who rushed over.
As Koby ran to the water at Woolgoolga Back Beach, he realized it was too dangerous to go in without a board, so instead helped fellow Year 8 pupil Jack Hayes.
Using skills learned on his school’s surf safety course, Jack raced to the water and paddled towards the woman. He then helped her onto his board and got her back to the beach and safety.
The woman later told Jack that she was fine, just a bit tired.
The school’s surfing teachers, John Morgan and John Elliott, said they had ‘no doubt that these boys prevented a terrible tragedy as the woman they rescued was swimming alone in a dangerous location and was a very poor swimmer.’
The boys remained calm, used their skills and knowledge, and demonstrated the kind of selfless behavior typical of so many of our students,’ they said on Facebook.
The school congratulated the boys and their teachers, saying they had represented the school with pride.
There were hundreds of messages on social media thanking the boys for their heroic actions.
Many posters reinforced the importance of surf survival/lifesaving education in schools and communities.
Others commented on how young the boys are, with one saying that their bravery was beyond their years.
Another poster predicted that this would not be the last time the boys used their skills to rescue people from rips.
Overall, the boys were hailed as ‘little heroes’ who had done themselves and their school proud.
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