Rogue-wave near-tragedy prompts safety warning, life-ring calls

A family is calling for a second life ring to be installed at a popular rock pool after three of their relatives were swept out to sea by a rogue wave, in a rescue they say was delayed by the life ring's distance from the water.

A Port Stephens family was enjoying the water at the Boat Harbour rock pool when a mother and two young girls were swept from the rocks by a rogue wave.

Two of the three were carried about 100 metres offshore within minutes of being hit by the wave, while the third managed to scramble back up the rocks and away from the surge.

The orange life preserver mounted at the nearby whale-watching lookout was deployed to help in the rescue, but the family says its position, well back from the rock platform and out of clear sight of the pool, cost crucial time before the rescue could begin.

Triple-zero was called immediately, triggering a rapid multi-agency response involving NSW Police, NSW Ambulance, the jet-ski crew from One Mile Surf Life Saving Club and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

The group had watched the pool and ocean conditions for at least 15 minutes before anyone got in the water. The tide was about halfway out and there appeared to be a modest swell.

Grandparents Leah and John Bracegirdle reached out to local social media groups to share their family's experience and warn other visitors to stay safe on the rocky coastline.

Another family member described the swell as roughly 0.8 metres on an 18-second period. They said there had been "no waves making it into the pool" in the time they observed it before the much larger set arrived without warning.

When the wave hit, the family member said he went into the water himself to reach his relatives, spending about 25 minutes trying to keep them afloat before rescue crews arrived.

A fisherman also swam the Angel Ring out to the group after it was deployed from the lookout. He described the effort simply as "an epic swim to get the life preserver out".

All three family members were retrieved safely.

Boat Harbour rock pool, on the Tomaree Peninsula, is a popular swimming spot known for its calm, sheltered water, but it is directly beside the open ocean, and visitors have previously been swept from the surrounding rock platform by unpredictable swells.

One online commenter shared a similar story about her daughter.

"My daughter was airlifted from there with six broken ribs n a punctured lung," she said.

"Over a six week recovery and all whilst doing Year 12.

"If it wasn't for her heroic friends that somehow got her back to the rocks and got her out, she would have been gone.

"She had rogue wave take her out of rock pool. She said it was very calm n ocean was flat.

"It just came out of nowhere, very scary."

The family told the Newcastle Herald their post was to make people aware of the dangers of swimming in rock pools.

The family is pushing for a second life ring to be installed next to the rock pool to prevent the same situation happening.

"We have contacted Angel Rings, a volunteer service that installs the orange life preserver known as Angel Rings, for a very good reason," they said.

"Hopefully, another Angel Ring may be installed closer, or at least in the line of sight, of the rock pool.

"If so, deploying a closer Angel Ring would mean saving vital minutes in a life-saving rescue."

The family said they were "forever grateful" for the response from emergency services, and credited the existing Angel Ring as the vital piece of equipment that helped bring their relatives home safely.

The family is continuing to liaise with the volunteer group that installs and maintains the rings in the hope a second unit can be placed closer to the pool.

A NSW Surf Life Saving spokesperson confirmed NSW Police notified the SLSNSW State Operations Centre of an incident at 4pm Saturday, September 19.

Australian Lifeguard Service lifeguards and Birubi Point surf club emergency call-out team members responded.

"On arrival, three swimmers were out of the water safe and well," they said.