CURRUMBIN CREW SAVES THREE IN SURF DRAMA
Scarborough, WA, March 19: Who said the days of the surf boat as a rescue craft were over?
Certainly not Currumbin's Matt Wildman (sweep), Geoff Case (stroke), brothers Clint (2nd bow) and Troy Jones (bow) and Joe Fraser (2nd stroke) - not to mention the three people they rescued from rough surf late Wednesday afternoon.
The pounding seas had created plenty of excitement in the competition areas but it was after the action that the real drama started.
Matt, Geoff, Clint, Troy and Joe, the Currumbin reserve grade crew, had just arrived at the beach about 5pm and were out for a warm-up row when they noticed two young swimmers in trouble just past what was a dangerous break, with a rip taking them further out to sea.
Turning back the clock to the days before IRB's and jet skis, the crew rowed towards the teenagers (English backpackers), pulled them into the boat and rowed them to the safety of the beach.
But their lifesaving work wasn't done, as they soon noticed another person in trouble, right in the middle of the bank, being smashed by the dangerous swell.
The crew headed back out to sea and realised the swimmer was too weak to get into the boat in such rough conditions.
Joe and Troy jumped into the water - Troy with a rescue tube.
"It was a very hairy situation," Matt said. "Troy asked: ‘Will I go?' and Joe said ‘I might as well go too'."
Joe was first to reach the struggling swimmer, as Irish tourist, who was screaming: "Help, help, I'm gone, I'm going to die".
Joe turned the man on his back and held him as they were hit by several waves. Once Troy was on the scene they placed the tube around the man and swam him to the beach.
The man was seconds from being lost and once on the beach he was placed in the care of first aid crews who gave him 
oxygen.
Even then, the first aid teams report the man was dangerously unwell and they were about to start CPR when began to recover. He was then taken to hospital by ambulance.
Matt, Geoff and Clint managed to get the boat back to shore without incident, which under the conditions was a feat in itself.
Yesterday, life returned to something closer to normal for the crew as they easily progressed through their first round heat.