WATCH: Westpac helicopter crew rescue sunbathing teens 'oblivious to danger they are in'
A Westpac Helicopter crewman has described one of his most daring rescues and has shared life-saving safety tips for the Christmas period.
Tony Waller, who has been with the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service for 34 years, said his team were returning to their base after a job at Sydney’s North Head in July when he did a "double look" at two figures at the base of the rocks.
A pair of teenage girls had climbed down the cliff face using a rope ladder "to sunbake" during a four-metre ocean swell and two-metre high tide.
"They were remote from assistance and no one wold have even known they were there," Mr Waller told Yahoo7.
"With the tide and high swell, they would have crashed onto the rock platform. They were totally oblivious to the danger."
Mr Waller said the crew motioned to the teenagers to give a thumbs up, but got a blank response.
They decided to winch Mr Waller down from the aircraft to explain there was no way they could get back up the cliff face to safety.
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He then winched the girls back up to the top where his offsider explained the situation they were in and "the penny dropped."
While the North Head job had a positive outcome, Mr Waller said his log book is also full of unsuccessful rescues - including many rock fishermen knocked off ledges by waves.
He has urged fishermen to wear fluorescent lifejackets - ideally pink - as it is the easiest colour to see in the ocean.
When it comes to swimming at the beach, Mr Waller said families should practice "responsible risk taking," and be cautious if visiting an unpatrolled beach.
"If you have kids be ever vigilant," he said. "People don’t scream and shout and go 'help, help' like in the movies, they drown silently."
The Westpac Helicopter crewman warned dangers also surround swimming in rivers, creeks, lakes and dams.
"Fast flowing water is a much different beast to surf and alpine winds can carry you out to the centre of the body of water," he said.
He advised to choose swimming spots carefully and to not expect ponds and creeks to necessarily be calm.
When it comes to hiking, Mr Waller said to always let someone know where you plan to go and when you're expected home.
He said to also take an emergency locator beacon, which can be borrowed from NSW Police free of charge.
Last summer, NSW experienced the highest number of drowning fatalities since 2008-09 with 41 people tragically losing their lives in waterways across the state. This includes 17 drowning deaths over the nine days between Christmas and 2 January, 2017.
Air Rescue airs on Channel 7 at 8.30pm on Tuesday.
