Four teenagers have been praised by police after rescuing three young swimmers who became caught in a rip at a beach south of Hobart.
The trio, aged 12, 15 and 16, were swept about 50 metres from shore toward the blowhole at Blackmans Bay Beach around 4:30pm on Saturday.
Concerned beachgoers called police, but before officers arrived, four teenage boys entered the water and brought all three to safety.
“While police do not encourage members of the public to enter the water to conduct rescues beyond their capabilities, on this occasion the teenagers involved were confident and capable in open-water conditions,” police said.
The three rescued swimmers were taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital in a stable condition.
Rip currents remain one of Australia’s deadliest coastal hazards, causing more deaths annually than sharks, floods and cyclones combined.
Surf Life Saving Australia estimates around 17,000 rips occur across the country on any given day, with roughly 20 drowning deaths each year attributed to the currents.
Bystander rescues can also turn tragic.
Past research conducted by the University of New South Wales, based on data from Surf Life Saving Australia, showed that 67 would-be rescuers died in Australian coastal waters between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2019.
