The quick action of seventeen year old twins Bea and Clara McDonald has saved a visiting family after they were swept out to sea by a rip at South Bombo, and later that day Bea went out a second time to save someone else.

In the morning, immediately after noticing the man, woman and two children getting into trouble from their kitchen window, Bea rushed down to the beach to help with the rapidly escalating situation.

“They were all out in the rip and all yelling,” says Bea.

“I ran down in my clothes after grabbing my soft board to help, followed quickly by Clara.”

The man was at the base of the rip after being out to sea, and was sent into shore.

“I got the mum and the son to hold onto the board and catch their breath, and then Clara and I took them in on our boards,” says Bea.

The other child managed to get in on their boogie board.

The lifeguard arrived then and organised an ambulance, which took the man to hospital.

While it is the first time the girls have rescued someone at South Bombo, they have helped other people while working as surf instructors at The Farm.

“We’ve had to interrupt our lessons to get people out of rips a number of times,” says Bea.

Since the morning incident, the girls have watched other people come close to getting swept out at South Bombo, and ten minutes after telling this to The Bugle, Bea had to go out again to save another man..

“Today is small surf, but the rip is really bad,” says Bea.

“Because it is shallow, they willingly move to where it is deep, and then they look up and find they are out the back.

“It is the worst conditions in a way, because people don’t go out when it is really big.”

Clara took this picture of Bea going out to rescue the second man

South Bombo is notorious for its rip, and there are signs advising not to swim. Council has placed an emergency relay beacon there, and asks people to swim at the northern, patrolled end of the beach.

Council's Chief Lifeguard, Craig Bowley, says, “The best thing to do if you get caught in a rip is to try not to panic, float and conserve your energy, rather than fighting against it.

“A rip will often take you out but then bring you back around to a sandbar or shallow area, from which you can return to shore or wait to be rescued.”

Lifeguards and surf life savers will be patrolling Kiama’s beaches seven days a week until 29 January.

One of the emergency beacons at Kendalls

Kiama’s patrolled beaches are:

• Jones Beach
• Bombo (North) Beach
• Surf Beach
• Kendalls Beach
• Easts Beach
• Werri Beach
• Seven Mile Beach.