In the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, with conditions among the most dangerous seen on the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Beach lifeguard Tommy Cervi and life member Max Pettigrove launched a jetski into the extreme surf in the fading light of the day to rescue two teenage swimmers swept out to sea.
Last Friday night the men were presented with Surf Life Saving Queensland Bravery Medals at Sunshine Beach surf club in recognition of their heroic rescue in March this year.
Recalling the event, Tommy said when one of the swimmers managed to reach the southern end of Alexandra Bay and told them “his mate was out there somewhere“, “it wasn’t looking good“.
“I guess we were pretty lucky,“ he said.
“It was using our local knowledge and following the way the ocean was moving. He ended up way out the back on the top of the swell. He was waving his hands.
“He was very happy to see us and we were very happy to see him.“
Tommy told presentation guests their rescue wasn’t just down to he and Max.
“Tim was on the headlands (guiding them through on radio). There was a doctor on the headlands signalling us to go around the corner to A-Bay. We could have been stuck in Paradise Caves for 20-odd minutes and that would have changed the rescue completely.
“Also the ERG (Emergency Rescue Group) from Noosa – they all joined in,“ he said.
“It was just a good outcome. Some days don’t go this way. It was nice that it did.“
Lifeguard supervisor Trent Robinson told how he was on the Mooloolaba boardwalk looking at six walls of white water in surf the likes of which he’d never seen before in his lifetime when he got the call about 5.30pm that there was an incident.
“It was bloody big that day and it was a real strong southerly swell heading straight up to Noosa. Sunshine as we all know gets it more than anywhere,“ he said.
“It was getting pretty dark. They told me there were a couple of kids missing off Sunshine Beach.
“They were going to launch the jetski. I was thinking, I don’t know if this is putting my boys into danger.“
Trent said when he was told it was TC and Maxi launching he thought there’s probably only two guys who can do that and that’s TC and Maxi.
But about quarter to six when he got told they still hadn’t found a missing swimmer he was about to call it in.
“It was getting right on dark. Having a jetski out there in those sort of seas I was thinking it was time to call it in,“ he said.
“At the last minute we got the call that the young fella had been found 400m off Hell’s Gate. If anyone’s tried to find anything in the water on a flat day it’s hard enough let alone in 4m-5m seas. It’s almost needle in a haystack so to do that is fantastic.
“For me what they did was pretty courageous. For all my years in lifeguarding and all my years on the beach I think it’s one of the best rescues I’ve ever seen.
“It was just a great team effort.“
The event recognised not only the bravery of two men who went above and beyond their duty to rescue the swimmers but the entire team including lifeguards, lifesavers and trainers whose efforts every day save lives.
Queensland had 90 drownings in the past year, 31 in coastal areas, 21 on the beach.
“We had 21 drownings on Queensland beaches but without you we would have had a lot more.“
