Navy’s ‘Bondi Rescue’

13 April 2010

The heroes of ‘Bondi Rescue’ recently saluted HMAS Newcastle’s (CMDR Justin Jones, RAN) SBLT Dan Buys for his ‘real life’ to ‘film reel’ rescue of a man drowning at iconic Bondi Beach.

SBLT Buys’ prior experience as a lifeguard coupled with his Navy ‘culture of readiness’ allowed him to calmly respond to crisis when he went to Bondi with his fiancée, Vanessa, for a swim on Sunday, 21 March.

Upon entering the water the 33-year-old Bondi local heard three men screaming for help some 30 metres out to shore.

His training and experience saw him immediately swim to the aid of the three men, where he saw one of them struggling in a rip to keep his head above water.

“When I swam out I could see there was one particular man who was in very serious danger of drowning,” he said.

SBLT Buys said the drowning man was terrified and was trying to grab onto him to stay afloat.

“I quickly realised how very serious the situation was because I was also running out of puff in the strong rip,” he said.

SBLT Buys said that despite his concerns he managed to calm the man, flip him onto his back, and bring him back to shore.

“But it wasn’t long until the lifeguards arrived on the scene, to render further assistance, which is when I noticed a camera crew from ‘Bondi Rescue’ filming us,” he said.

SBLT Buys, who has served in the RAN for almost three years, then gave an interview about how he had responded to the drowning man’s plea for help and got him back to shore.

Like many unsung Navy heroes, SBLT Buys was overcome with modesty when the Bondi lifeguards told him they would nominate him for bravery award.

“One of the lifeguards asked me for my name and contact details because they want to nominate me for a bravery award, but in all honesty I was only doing what I had been trained to do,” he said.

SBLT Buys said he has learnt from this experience just how easy it is for people to panic when they get caught in a rip.

He attributed his prior experience as a lifeguard and the Navy value of courage as the reason he was able to instantly respond to the crisis which the stars of ‘Bondi Rescue’ applauded as an act of bravery.

SBLT Buys told Navy News he doesn’t think of himself as a hero. The reason he joined the RAN in July 2007 was because he wanted to challenge himself.