‘Really lucky’: Heroic Parkdale man rescues struggling paddleboarder

A Parkdale man’s quick thinking may have saved a life on Sunday morning.

Peter Knight was walking on the beach with his wife and kids when he saw a stand-up paddleboarder fall into the icy cold water about 150 metres from shore.

He watched for a few minutes and realised she was struggling, so he rushed to help.

“The penny dropped that she was in a bit of strife and I got the kit off and in I went!,” he told Neil Mitchell.

Mr Knight says there were two moments where he quickly realised the situation was more serious than he initially thought.

“One was when I dove in the water and it was absolutely bloody freezing … and then when I got to the board she was hanging onto the side in the water and she was extremely distressed and completely exhausted,” he said.

“There was a really strong breeze and they weren’t able to get anywhere.

Mr Knight told the distressed woman to hold onto her friend’s paddle board, and got behind the board and pushed the pair back to shore.

“I just felt really lucky that everyone was ok,” he said.

Press PLAY below to hear how the rescue unfolded

Image: Crime Watch Victoria