A fisherman has escaped drowning after being dragged off rocks at Fingal Head, near the Gold Coast, today.
Witnesses heard the man screaming for help and called the triple zero.
Mary * said she was walking her dogs around her head around 8:45 a.m. when she saw people waving their arms.
Witnesses saw the man finally rescued. (9News) Police were at the scene but were able to reach the man near the rocks. (9 News)
“There was a boy under the cliff in the water who was sweeping near the rocks,” he said.
“There were about eight of us who kept yelling at him, ‘Hold on, keep your head up, keep floating, help come,’ clapping, whistling.”
They watched helplessly as he hung from his wand and tried to stay afloat while he was hit by huge waves.
“He looked exhausted and disappeared a few times,” Mary said.
The man was being washed for about 30 minutes before police arrived.
Lifeboats with jet skis came to his rescue, but were unable to get close enough to get him out of the water at first.
They then threw a rescue buoy at him and he was finally able to grab the floating device and be thrown to a safe place.
He was taken to Tweed Hospital in serious but stable condition.
* Mary requested that you use only her name for privacy reasons.