Off-duty lifeguards rescue boy
A YOUNG boy was saved from drowning by two off-duty lifeguards at Yamba’s Main Beach late on Tuesday afternoon.
About 5.30pm, Damian McDermid had finished work and was having a surf when he noticed two people struggling in a rip.
He and another lifeguard, Nick Fraser, paddled over to find a man trying to save a boy, aged about eight, from drowning.
Luckily, Mr McDermid and Mr Fraser managed to get the boy back to safety.
The rescue raises the issue of beachgoers staying on at the beach after lifeguards finish work. Yamba Surf Club captain Joe Dougherty said it was a common occurrence during summer.
“The risk of something happening increases after five o’clock,” he said.
“If people are going to swim ... after five o’clock they really do need to stay well within their depth.”
