A brave moment heroic surfers jump into action to rescue an elderly man who was taken to the sea after trying to cross the lagoon
- Violent floodwaters were released from Dee Wye Lagoon in Long Reef Beach
- An elderly man got into trouble trying to cross the lagoon in northern Sydney
- It took several surfers to save the man and get him on the beach
A group of surfers were praised for their heroic deeds after dramatically rescuing an elderly man who was swept into the sea in the wild.
Surfers made the most of the swelling by surfing the flooded waters that flowed from the Dee Wye Lagoon to Long Reef Beach, which happens regularly during periods of heavy rain.
But amid the fun, a man was caught in the water trying to cross the lagoon.
Fabio Silvestre was the first to reach the man, but he couldn’t stop him from being swept away.
Surfers are depicted rescuing an elderly man who was swept into the sea on Sydney’s northern beaches
Dramatic footage taken by a local drone photographer shows three other surfers coming to the man’s aid, but the water wall still pushes them all out of the lagoon.
“Everything happened super fast, we just washed, we tried to keep his head up,” said Mr. Sylvester.
Then another surfer joined the rescue and managed to reach out to the old man and pull him out on the sand.
Surfers in the original rescue team also managed to retreat to the safety of the dunes.
“He was shocked, he didn’t say much, a few boys asked him if he was okay, if he took water, and he just shook his head,” said Eugene Du Plessis, another surfer.
Surfers said the man said nothing, but tried to return to the water to cross the lagoon before giving up and heading to the parking lot.
His identity remains a mystery.
Fabio Sylvester (pictured) is one of the surfers hailed as heroes for rescuing an elderly man pulled into the sea in the wild
Locals said the lagoon is rarely as dangerous as it is because of the wild weather.
“The water is flowing the way it was, I’ve never seen it like that,” said Mr Du Plessis.
Although he did not know the rescued man, Mr. Du Plessis would like to meet him again.
“We hope to see the man on the beach again and drink beer and laugh.”
Mr. Sylvester was very modest about his heroism, simply saying, “I’m glad we were there at the right time, and he went home.”
Long Reef Beach at Dee Why on Sydney’s North Beaches, pictured on a much calmer day
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