Kurrawa girls pass their biggest test
RENAE Hussey, 13, and Kiarra Kiperis, 14, never thought they’d have to use their surf lifesaving skills in real life.
The two Kurrawa SLSC products had only just received their surf rescue certificates when they were forced into action while training.
“We were at training and we saw this father and son out stuck in the rip and they looked like they needed help,” said Hussey. “We could see them struggling so our coach told us to go because the lifeguard up on the beach.
“As we were approaching them, we could see the father lifting up the son, that’s how bad it was. We got to them and they were holding onto our boards but we had to call for back-up.”
Kiperis said it was pure instinct that drove the girls into the water despite menacing conditions.
“You could feel the adrenaline hitting but you just had to go,” she said.
“It was quite rough and the swell was pretty big. We’re on patrol all the time … and we knew we just had to get out there as fast as we could.”
Hussey added: “We instantly knew what to do as soon as we got into the water.”
Both girls missed the board rescue finals yesterday but have already passed the test.