Gold Coast nipper hailed a hero after helping rescue drowning man
A young Gold Coast nipper is being hailed a hero by emergency service personnel, after rescuing a man at an unpatrolled beach north of the Sunshine Coast on Easter Sunday.
Jake told reporters on Thursday that he and his family had been driving home from Double Island Point and his father noticed a group of distressed people at Teewah Beach and pulled the car over.
When they knew someone was out in the water, the then 12-year-old's parents encouraged Jayke to go in and help.
The stranger struggling in the water was a 38-year-old father, said to weigh around 100kg.
"I just like did what had to be done," Jayke Menefy told media on Thursday morning.
His father had recently had knee reconstruction surgery, so Jayke was said to be the strongest swimmer in the car.
"Knowing Jayke's capabilities, there just wasn't a question of sending him out. We knew he could handle it," Nicole Menefy said.
He said he paddled out on his board and pulled the man's arm onto the board to keep him afloat, but the pair were unable to get back to shore on their own.
Jayke said the man was too exhausted and due to the extra weight he couldn't paddle back on his own.
Fortunately the pair was assisted by some bodyboarders who helped push them back to shore.
Jayke said he used skills he had learned while doing nippers.
"I didn't really have to think about them, I just knew how to like navigate myself through a rip," said Jayke.
His parents are incredibly proud.
His father Daniel said : "He lives in the surf, so he's comfortable out there. He surfs, you know, with his mates without supervision. He swim trains a lot."
Daniel said he made sure Jayke was competent in the ocean before he let him go surfing.
The family is reminding people to only swim between the flags.
Jayke will be reunited with the man he helped save on Saturday.
