Grandfather saves wife after being swept off rocks into ocean at Stanwell Park

Hero grandad plunges back into wild waves to hold his beloved wife above water for 30 MINUTES after being swept off remote flat rocks with their two young grandsons

  • Heroic grandfather has saved his wife’s life by keeping her afloat for 30 minutes
  • They and their two grandchildren were swept into the ocean from a rock wall
  • Children and grandfather pulled back up but grandmother sustained injuries 
  • Grandfather dove back in to keep her afloat until emergency crews arrived
  • She was taken to Royal North Shore with spinal injuries but is in stable condition


A hero grandfather has jumped back into the ocean to safe the life of his beloved wife after they were swept off a rock wall with their two young grandsons.

She and her family were thrown into the ocean at Stanwell Park in Wollongong, south of Sydney, after they were knocked off their feet while walking along a rock platform near a remote bush track on Thursday. 

The two grandsons, 13 and 10, and their grandfather, 71, pulled themselves back up however their grandmother, who is aged in her 70s, was not able to, and was left floundering in the wild waves.

A grandmother has sustained spinal injuries after she, her husband and their two grandchildren were swept off a rock platform into the ocean 

The heroic grandfather made the decision to jump back into the ocean to keep her afloat for 30 minutes until help arrived, saving her life.

‘The male has jumped back into the water to assist her and kept her afloat until the jet skis arrived and the helicopter crew,’ said NSW Ambulance Chief Inspector Norm Rees to 9News.

Emergency crews had to be winched in to retrieve the woman with the aid of Surf Life Saving.

Paramedics were able to pull the couple from the water but the grandmother suffered back and neck injuries and had to be winched into the helicopter before being flown to Royal North Shore hospital. 

The youngest grandchild, Will, said he could feel himself backflipping before hitting two rocks when he was swept into the ocean with his family.

His brother commented: ‘It was so scary.’ 

The family were walking along a rock platform in Stanwell Park in Wollongong (pictured) on Thursday when they were knocked off their feet into the ocean

The family were walking along a rock platform in Stanwell Park in Wollongong (pictured) on Thursday when they were knocked off their feet into the ocean

The grandfather (pictured) and two grandsons were able to pull themselves back onto the rock wall but the grandmother had sustained injuries, leaving her floundering in the waves

The grandfather (pictured) and two grandsons were able to pull themselves back onto the rock wall but the grandmother had sustained injuries, leaving her floundering in the waves

‘The two grandsons and the grandfather walked out with the aid of paramedics and sustained only minor cuts and abrasions,’ Chief Inspector Rees said to the ABC.      

He explained that due to the remote location of the incident, the rescue was difficult from the beginning of the operation.

‘They raised the alarm by phone from the site but the reception was intermittent, so he’d give part of the detail and then the next thing was he’d lost reception,’ he commented.

The rescue was also challenging for the 15-20 strong emergency crew involved due to the 20-30 minute walk it took to get to the rock platform location. 

Mr Rees remarked the family was very glad to see emergency crews when they arrived. 

The two children were reunited with their mother (pictured), escaping the ordeal with minor cuts and abrasions

The two children were reunited with their mother (pictured), escaping the ordeal with minor cuts and abrasions 

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