A man was rescued almost 200m off Lighthouse Beach at Ballina after getting into difficulty in the surf with his son late on Thursday afternoon.
While his son managed to make his own way to shore, the man – aged in his 40s – got caught in a fast moving current heading towards the river mouth.
Lifesavers from the Ballina Lighthouse & Lismore SLSC picked up the swimmer in their Inflatable Rescue Boat, while the Ballina Jet Boat and SLSNSW duty officer Garry Meredith supported the operation.
NSW Police and Ambulance were also on scene while the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked but stood down following the quick response by lifesavers.
Mr Meredith, praised the quick joint response by all emergency services involved.
‘Considering how far this man had been swept out to sea, it was a fantastic effort by our lifesaving services to recover him without any serious injury. The quick response by all involved on this occasion has undoubtedly prevented a tragedy,’ said Mr Meredith.
