Boardriders competing at the Australian Battle Final turned rescuers after a group of swimmers were swept from a sandbank into rough waters on Newcastle Beach this week.
Avoca boardrider Nigel Tebb, whose two daughters were competing at Newcastle this week, noticed a group of swimmers had got into trouble in the water around 6pm on Sunday as organisers at the event were packing down.
He snapped into action, taking his daughter's board and with the help of another patron on the beach, swam out to the swimmers' aid.
One of the four swimmers was able to make it back to shore unaided, while the assisting bystander helped another to safety, but one of the remaining two swimmers - a 19-year-old teenage girl - had taken in water and became unconscious after being returned to the shore.
Organisers at the event leant assistance, and oxygen was administered before paramedics arrived. A spokesperson for the NSW Ambulance later confirmed that the girl had been treated at the scene but ultimately did not require further hospital treatment.
"If it wasn't for Nigel's quick thinking, I would hate to say it, but I think the young swimmers could have drowned. Due to Nigel's quick response and the assistance of everyone involved, we were able to do what we could to assist the victim," Surfing NSW spokesperson Michael Crisp said in a statement released Tuesday.
The 10th Australian Boardriders Battle concluded in Newcastle at the weekend after an eight-event national tour that commenced in September.
