Drowning man reunited with his rescuer on 3AW
A man who was rescued from drowning has been reunited with his rescuer on 3AW.
Jed Lovell, a former lifesaver (above, right), was spending Christmas Eve at Gunnamatta Beach when he spotted a man in trouble far off shore.
The man, Chris Beale, was boarding with his cousins when he got torn behind a wave.
Jed swam out to Chris and brought him back to shore, where a nurse was waiting to make sure he was okay.
The pair joined Darren James on 3AW Afternoons on Friday, the first time they’d spoken since the dramatic day.
“It’s really good to hear your voice, Chris,” Jed said.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”
Chris said he was left traumatised.
“It was a nightmare,” he said.
Click PLAY below to hear the reunion in full!
The story is a happy one now, but it could easily have ended very badly.
After Jed got out to the stranded man, Chris revealed he cannot swim.
“I thought, this just jumped up another level,” Jed said.
Jed said it was physically draining, but he never considered giving up.
“You just do what you’ve got to do,” he said.
“I’m just glad Chris got to go home to his family and they didn’t have to have a terrible Christmas.”
Photo above: Jed Lovell / Instagram