A professional Australian surfer is being hailed as a hero after he rescued a woman from sharp rocks and waves of the Pacific Ocean on a beach in Hawaii.
Australian national Mikey Wright was enjoying and filming the ocean’s view on Oahu’s North shore in Hawaii on New Year’s Eve when he realised something was wrong with a woman who seemed struggling in the waters.
According to a CNN report, he asked his wife to take his phone and beer and, in a flash, jumped over the fence and ran to the beach to rescue the woman stuck in the waves.
“It all happened really fast and we kind of had to jump right into action,” Wright told the website. He added how a wave came up and swept this woman off the rocks and started to drag her out to the sea. The 24-year-old surfer managed to reach the woman in time and hold onto her as they were thrashed by the waves all along. He also managed to keep the woman clam by talking to her repeatedly.
However, just as they were nearing shore and starting to stand up, a large surge of water came. Wright, with his expertise and experience in such conditions, jumped while holding the woman to avoid the brunt of the waves and the sharp rocks beneath them.
Meanwhile, other rescuers started to run down towards the waterfront to help, but were unable to get close. Among them was Wright’s sister Tyler, who is also a pro surfer. However, when Wright and the woman got close enough, Tyler and others helped the pair to safety on the beach.
Once they were both in the safety on shore, the woman, even though in a bit of shock, thanked him profusely and said she was alright and didn’t have any deep cuts. The report also mentioned that the woman’s son ran down and thanked Wright with tears.
The surfer shared a short video clip of his brave rescue on Instagram. The video shows him running towards the woman and bringing her to safety.
Watch it here:
Many users who came across Wright's rescue video on social media praised him for his timely intervention. The North Shore Lifeguard Association also lauded Wright and the public for the rescue.
The organisation took to Instagram, shared and lauded Wright’s amazing rescue and wrote, “This lady is so lucky to be alive.” They also mentioned the dangers at the North Shore surf, warning it can sweep up and grab the people at any time.