HE SAW A TEENAGER IN TROUBLE… AND DIDN’T HESITATE..! – Central Coast hero saves two people from potentially d-eadly ocean current at The Entrance

Central Coast hero saves two people from potentially deadly ocean current at The Entrance

The 24-year-old sprang into action after spotting a teenager in distress in one of the Central Coast’s most dangerous waterways, issuing a firm warning to others.

Central Coast man saves two people caught in dangerous ocean current at The Entrance

A Central Coast man has become a local hero after rescuing two people from a potentially deadly ocean current at The Entrance Channel.

Harry Cornell, 24, was eating lunch when he spotted a teenager in trouble in the dangerous waters. The lifelong member of the local surf lifesaving club immediately sprang into action.

“Looking outside my window, eating my lunch, I was just always consistently monitoring that water, luckily enough for that day,” Cornell said.

Cornell ran towards the dangerous waters to grab the teenager who had jumped in and become caught in the current.

“As I ran over to him and grabbed him, wrapped him up in the tube, I noticed he couldn’t lift his arm up. He was in a pretty bad state,” he said.

“That’s when I noticed all the lacerations to his lower legs and limbs, so there was a lot of blood.”

While the teenager was being treated on the sand, a man believed to be in his 60s also got caught in the path of the current.

Now at the mercy of Mother Nature, Cornell flagged down some teenage jet skiers who rushed to the rescue.

“I’m not sure what I would have done without them,” he said.

However, after being rescued, the older man simply walked off without receiving medical attention.

Phil Ayres from Surf Life Saving NSW praised the rescue effort, saying “our members are always rescue ready and just have a culture of giving back and helping community.”

Cornell says the Entrance Channel is a notorious black spot and should only be used for fishing, not swimming.

“If you look it up, it’s a black spot. There’s that many drownings that are always there,” he said.

The location has claimed lives before, including 11-year-old Laith Alaid two years ago, who was swept out to sea while trying to cross the channel.

“It appears very shallow, even when the current’s not flowing, but there’s a really sharp drop off not far from shore,” Ayres warned.

“Just don’t swim there,” Cornell said.