A BRITISH couple’s stand-up paddle board adventure on Tuggerah Lake has turned into a five-hour ordeal prompting a rescue involving surf lifesavers and the Westpac Life Saver Helicopter.
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The tourists launched their craft at Canton Beach around 11.30am on Thursday.
Concerns were raised for their welfare hours later. Police, paramedics, the SES, surf lifesavers and the Westpac Life Saver Helicopter responded.
A member of the public, with a pair of binoculars, spotted the stranded paddle boarders struggling in the high winds and white caps.
While the helicopter hovered overhead, Toowoon Bay lifesavers Chris Fillingham and his son Ethan, and the Wyong SES crew of Matt le Clercq and Gavin Bale took to the water in inflatable rescue boats to rescue the couple about 6pm.
“It was truly a fortuitous sighting as the combination of a strong wind, white-cap waves, and a setting sun made for an extremely challenging rescue,” a spokesperson for Surf Life Saving NSW said.
“The grateful paddlers had been missing for more than five hours by this point and were suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and mild hypothermia but, fortunately, nothing too serious.”
Neither was wearing a lifejacket.
During their ordeal they had clung to a buoy in the middle of the lake to conserve energy, before being blown off in the wind.
Central Coast duty officer Tony Smith said the paddlers were extremely fortunate.
“In this instance had the member of the public not been able to sight them this situation could have turned out very differently,” Mr Smith said.
“They had no lifejackets, no form of communication, and no water. It underscores the importance of being prepared for a day out on the water.
“What this incident does highlight is how well trained and professional our emergency call-out teams are.
“They integrated seamlessly with the other agencies with everyone working together to pull off a very impressive rescue,” he said.