The dramatic rescue of three swimmers in a dangerous rip off Redgate Beach on Sunday has left local man Gary Quintrell concerned for beachgoers as summer approaches.
Mr Quintrell has lived in Margaret River for over 20 years and has frequented Redgate Beach as an avid diver and swimmer.
On Sunday, as he was preparing to leave the busy beach, Mr Quintrell noticed a swimmer in trouble.
“The swell had picked up and all the surfers had gone home, but there was still a group of people swimming even though it was getting pretty hairy out there,” he said.
“I hesitated for a split second – my shoulder injury means I can’t lift my arm above my head, which makes proper swimming strokes impossible – and then without much thought I asked a girl nearby if I could take her boogie board and I just jumped in.”
Once Mr Quintrell had reached the swimmers he realised there was in fact three people in difficulty and alongside another local who had already reached the group, he attempted to help.
“One guy was a complete dead weight, and he was dragging down this local fella, so I asked the guy if he could help the worst bloke back to shore on the boogie board, so off they went.”
Left with two terrified tourists, who kept trying to swim back through the rip, Mr Quintrell’s first mission was to calm them down.
“They were absolutely terrified, they were panicked so they were getting tired.
“I just stayed there with them for a long while, talking to them calmly and getting them to tread water.
“I waited for a set to pass by us and then we started the swim back around the dangerous bit.”
In their panic the tourists kept trying to swim back through the rip, and their rescuer said the hardest part was encouraging them to swim further away from the shore.
“I know why they were freaking out, but it was important that they went around the rip. It took me a good half an hour just to chill them out and get them swimming towards me.”
Mr Quintrell’s shoulder, damaged from a long career as a welder, was making things even more difficult.
“I can’t really paddle on a board properly, and I certainly can’t do a freestyle stroke, there’s no rotating my shoulder that way,” Mr Quintrell said.
“So I’m doing this sort of half-sidestroke as they’re dog-paddling towards me and I lead them out past the rip to a spot we can safely swim back to shore.”
Once the trio were able to stand it was just a short stagger to the beach where Mr Quintrell shook hands with his unnamed accomplice.
“I have no idea who he was, but he was down here with his wife and child and he was amazing.
“When I got out there he was starting to be dragged under by the swimmer he was holding on to, and once we were back to safety I realised pretty quickly how close the both of us came to losing our lives.”
Mr Quintrell said he took a moment to explain the ocean’s behaviour to the grateful swimmers, who admitted they had no idea about the dangers of rips.
“There are signs down here at the beach but I don’t know how many people stop and pay attention, or whether they think the signs are just a standard warning on every beach.”
Mr Quintrell will soon launch his new business – a drone imagery service – but says the drama has left him interested in new rescue technology including lifesaving devices that can be flown out to sea by drone.
“The only problem with this is you would need to have someone on the beach, ready with a drone to send out.
“Remote places like Redgate exist all the way along our coast, it’s impossible to monitor and protect all of it.”
As the weather heats up, Mr Quintrell said the unselfish and heroic nature of so many Margaret Riverians could potentially put local lives in danger as well as visiting swimmers.
“There are so many people who live here who wouldn’t hesitate to go in, regardless of their own risk, which we all know is the last thing you’re supposed to do but we seem to do anyway,” he said.
Carrying a serious injury did little to deter his bravery and he said many people with experience in the water would have done the same.
“There has to be a better way to educate visitors – and locals – in how to avoid danger and get out of trouble in the water.
“What happened on Sunday could happen twenty, thirty times this summer and there is a huge risk of someone, or multiple people, to lose their lives.”
Nicky Lefebvre
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
