Terrifying moment at Sydney’s Tamarama beach as a surfer is pummelled by huge waves before Bondi Rescue lifeguard Luke Faddy jumps in to help him
Terrifying footage has emerged of a surfer being buffeted by huge waves during wild weather at a popular beach before one of Bondi Rescue’s stars came to his rescue.
The surfer was seen in the water at Tamarama Beach in Sydney’s east battling the wild surf near the rocks in a video posted to social media by Bill Morris this week.
The footage shows the force of the water pushing the man towards the edge of two huge vertical rocks known as ‘The Twins’.
In the footage posted to Instagram, the man can be seen struggling to stay above water and swim away from danger
The footage then shows the man being battered by large waves as he struggles to stay above the water and swim away from danger.
Moments earlier, Bondi Rescue lifeguard Luke Faddy, who saw the man struggling in the white water, is seen calling out to another bystander to check on the surfer’s condition.
He bravely dives into the water and starts swimming towards the surfer with nothing but his fins and a rescue strap over his shoulder.
The person filming can be heard telling Mr Faddy that ‘he’s fine’ as the lifeguard continues to swim towards the surfer.
The surfer is later seen riding his surfboard over milder waves as he makes his way back to shore to safety near Bronte Beach.
Mr Faddy also returned safely to shore.
Mr Morris captioned the video of the incident, telling how another man was also with the surfer at the time before they both ended up in the waves.
“In a growing swell, two surfers were cleared by a large group, with one breaking his leg rope before becoming entangled in the rocks at the Twins,” Mr Morris wrote.
Bondi Rescue lifeguard Luke Faddy (pictured) rushed to the surfer’s aid when he saw the man struggling near the rocks, before jumping into the water with nothing but his fins and a rescue strap over his shoulder.
Head of Waverly Council Lifeguards Bruce Hopkins praised Mr Faddy’s efforts to come to the surfer’s aid.
Mr. Hopkins told it Yahoo that beachgoers are not allowed to swim through the current in these situations.
“The best thing you can do is actively float where you’re treading water,” Mr Hopkins said.
“Don’t try to swim back to the beach.”
‘It’s better to just float and then you know which way the water is going and you go with the flow of that water.’
Mr Hopkins said the waves at Tamarama are very strong and surfers are often swept away by the force of the water.
Tamarama Beach is considered one of the most dangerous beaches in NSW due to the deep water and huge waves that create powerful rips.
Several people have died at the popular spot, including well-known publisher Matthew Richell, who was swept onto the rocks while surfing in 2014.
Surfers pulled his body from the water, but he could not be revived.