Bystander Nigel Sweetnam rescues woman from rip off Miners Beach, Port Macquarie

Thanks to the efforts of local man Nigel Sweetnam, who risked his own life to pull her out, the woman survived.

Lifeguards were called to Miners Beach at about 11.20am on November 11 where a 50-year-old woman was seen struggling in the waves off the rocks at the Miners Beach headland.

Observers said Mr Sweetnam, a regular runner along the Coastal Walk, spotted a group of three women panicking on the shoreline as they watched their friend struggle to get get back to shore.

He held the woman for more than 20 minutes in a strong current while he fought to bring her back to the rocks where he was met by help.

A lifeguard at Town Beach responded on a jet ski while head lifeguard James Turnham and NSW Police provided assistance in placing the woman on to a spinal board and moving her from the rocks and on to the beach.

State Emergency Services (SES) personnel from the Port Macquarie unit helped bring the woman to NSW Ambulance paramedics waiting at Shelly Beach, who provided treatment at the scene before taking her to Port Macquarie Base Hospital for observation and assessment.

A NSW Ambulance spokesperson said the woman had injested a lot of water.

Mr Turnham said the woman was incredibly lucky Mr Sweetnam saw her in the water and provided immediate help.

The woman was in a stable condition and recovering in hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

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