But now, the 30 year old is preparing to help his community as one of Port Macquarie's new lifeguards.

With a wealth of experience in the water - he surfs almost daily - he is confident he will do a steller job in the yellow and red.

"Through summer the job I have at the moment isn't what I want to do. The next best thing is to be at the beach where I've spent most of my life," he said. 

"It'll be great to help the community in my hometown. I know these waves well, I grew up here and know what's happening in the water."

While training has been different to his normal routine, he has taken the opportunity with both hands.

"I've been doing a lot of swimming in the pool and recently completed my first aid course," he said. 

"It's all going really good. I'm still travelling with body boarding so that is going well, but this is some stability over the summer which is great for me.

"If I can help a few people it's great. It's not going to be easy or relaxing, the beach is always popular in the holidays and always busy. 

"I'm yet to experience that busy rush, but I'm very confident in my own skill set and know I can help and do my job when I need to."

It is likely he will be thrust into a life-threatening situation but he is confident he can handle such a scenario.

"I'll always try my best whenever I'm faced with any situation," he said.

"I've had to save people while surfing around the break wall. I've been at places like Hawaii where I've seen major incidents occur, so you could say I'm already desensitised to that sort of stuff."

Head lifeguard James Turnham said Mr Russell is one of those rare recruits often scouted during winter.

"Every off season we keep an eye out for people like Jones who have different skills. He has amazing skills in the water," he said. 

"He's out there every day and is a great body boarder, so he is now being trained up in the beach management and first aid side of things. 

"It's not just people who have done surf life saving all of their lives, but people who are strong and confident in the water, like Jones."

Mr Turnham said with further training on rescue techniques Mr Russell will pick things up quickly. 

"I can see him being a very good lifeguard," he said. 

"We're lucky that when an incident does occur we have that really good bond amongst the team. We can support each other and keep an eye out for each other."