By Jolene Ogle
IT WAS a sunny Thursday morning on 25 August and Ben Lorentson was getting ready to catch some waves at Coolum Beach with his mates.
At about 6.45am Ben paddled out past the breakers and what started as a great day in the surf quickly turned into a lifesaving mission for the 11-year-old.
The Nipper from Noosa Heads Surf Club said he saw a woman struggling to keep her head above water so he quickly sprang into action.
“As I was paddling back out I saw a lady struggling to keep her head above water. She was stuck in a gutter,” he said.
Ben said the swimmer, known as Amy, refused his help at first and then accepted his offer to rest on his board.
“I let her borrow my board so she could catch her breath,” he said.
“I asked her if she wanted me to paddle her in and she said yes, if that’s okay with you. Because my board is 5 foot long I decided to give her my board. I took off my leg rope and swam alongside her back to shore.
“She asked me if I was a lifeguard because I was so calm. I told her I had done Nippers.
“What I did I would do for anybody. I have the skills to save people and I am so grateful to Nippers for giving me these skills.”
Ben started Nippers at age 6 with a dream to be a professional ironman, but years later he took up surfing as his dad pushed him onto the waves in the surf each weekend.
“It was here that my surfing addiction began,” he said.
Rather than giving up Nippers, Ben switched his focus from paddleboards to surfboards.
“The ocean is my happy place, my home and my playground,” he said.
“I believe we have a responsibility to help anyone in trouble in the water. Nippers gave me these skills to save lives.”
Ben was congratulated for his rescue and acknowledged with a special award from the Noosa Heads Surf Lifesaving Club presented at the club’s bi-annual sponsorship breakfast on Friday, 23 September.
