While holidaying with his family, Andrew and his brother-in-law decided to go snorkelling off the rocks at Bar Beach. He said: “We were looking at the fish and suddenly I felt myself moving away.”

As the infamous, strong outgoing tide at Bar Beach started to take Andrew out to sea, he said he could feel himself starting to panic. “I’m not a strong swimmer and there was a very strong undertow,” he said.

It was a local surfer, known only to Andrew as Ron, who rescued him. Ron pulled him back in on the surf board and by the time the pair reached the sandbar, two local off duty life savers had swam out to assist as well. Andrew said another surfer also offered assistance.

He was taken to Main Beach and picked up by the police who drove him back to his waiting family at Bar Beach.

The Pambula Surf Life Saving Club was contacted and the inflatable was brought to Main Beach but the crew was stood down before the inflatable was launched.

Andrew said he was delighted to be back on shore with no ill-effects, and thanked everyone involved in his rescue.