Shane Carroll, fortunately, works outdoors - the proprietor of Scapes&Stones, along with mate Luke Peden, heard a Rock Fishers cries for help at Bangalley Headland on Wednesday.
Shane and a gentleman named Richard dived in to help the man ashore in difficult conditions, where waves were washing over the rocks then pulling out strongly as they tried to get back in, and then Luke helped get the gentleman up and over the rocks back to safer ground. Luke had called for the ambulance and rescue people while Shane and Richard swam out. The rock fisherman was already 20 metres offshore when they saw him and clearly distressed.
Shane and Luke stated, "If he hadn't been wearing a lifejacket he would be gone."
Both are surfers, born and bred in Pittwater, both are fathers who like to get home to their children, both hope people will wear life jackets and check conditions prior to going rock fishing if they're visiting Pittwater.
The rescue had an element of 'if's too - if Shane hadn't been running around getting materials for the work being done earlier that day he and Luke would have already been, done their work, and gone. If they weren't men who had grown up in the area and always been in the water, they may not have been confident about the waters off Bangalley and their ability to save a life.
Luke's hat - left on fence by someone, and still there on Thursday when we met up on the scene of the emergency
