Members of the public and emergency services workers who performed CPR for more than 90 minutes on a man rescued from a rip at a West Australian beach have been praised for their efforts.
The man, in his 20s, remains in intensive care at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth after he was pulled unconscious from the water at Lights Beach near Denmark on the state's south coast on Saturday afternoon.
The man was caught in a rip at the popular but treacherous beach and was dragged out to sea.
Denmark Police officer in charge Sergeant Alby van den Berg said members of the public spotted the man in trouble just before 4.30pm and used a paddleboard to reach him.
They dragged him to shore and started performing CPR before emergency services arrived.
"He's not out of the woods … [but] I give credit to everyone involved in the rescue, between initial swimmers that recovered him from water, police and surf life savers, and St John who all did CPR," he told ABC Great Southern.
"I believe it was done for over an hour and a half.
"Locals acted quickly grabbing a paddleboard and heading out … we understand he was unresponsive when he came to ashore."
The man was taken to Denmark hospital before he was flown by Royal Flying Doctors Service to Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The rescue came a year after a couple were rescued from a rip at the same beach in what they described as a "terrifying ordeal".
A 2.5m swell hit the coast on Saturday with Lights Beach known for its often dangerous surf conditions.
Signs at the beach warn of high surf, strong currents and underwater drop-offs.
Friend also rescued from rip
Denmark Surf Life Saving Club's George Mumford said a friend of the victim was also caught in the rip at the same time but managed to return to the beach with the aid of a life ring.
A life ring was installed at Lights Beach in 2020.
"He tried to help his friend, but he couldn't. He managed to get back to the beach OK," Mr Mumford said.
Lights Beach risky for swimmers
Mr Mumford said Lights Beach posed risk to swimmers and urged those heading into the water to consider swimming at nearby Ocean Beach, which is patrolled by lifeguards over summer.
He said the surf club had considered expanding patrols to Lights Beach but that would mean stretching resources too widely.
Sergeant van den Berg said visitors to south coast beaches needed to be aware of the danger posed.
"The Southern Ocean, while the coast is beautiful and the beaches draw the tourists, it is a very dangerous patch of sea and very unpredictable. People need to take care and be aware of their surroundings," he said.
