Family thanks to surfer from Nanarup rip rescue

The parents of an Albany boy rescued from a rip at Nanarup have managed to catch up with one of the men who helped save their son’s life.

Toby Pugh, 12, was bodyboarding on the morning of Sunday, May 3 when he was caught in a rip and dragged 75m out to sea.

Two surfers jumped into the water and brought him back to safety.

Siobhan and Daniel Pugh contacted the Advertiser after the close call in the hope of finding the two men involved in the rescue to thank them properly.

The family has had some success, with Mr Pugh getting in contact with one of the surfers and thanking him in person two days later.

“We’ve only tracked down one so far,” Ms Pugh said.

“Daniel sent him a message saying ‘a few people put your name up in the comments’ and asking if he wouldn’t mind catching up.

“He said he would love to and last Saturday afternoon, Daniel went around and they caught up and had a chat, which was really nice.

“Daniel said he was just really humble, a good guy, and he said any person would have done the same thing.”

The Pugh family, who have lived in Albany for almost 12 years, said they would still love to meet the other rescuer.

“We still have no idea who the second guy was who also came out on a board,” she said.

“It would be good to find him and say thanks properly as well, but whether he wants to be found or not I don’t know.”

Ms Pugh said they had been overwhelmed by messages of support following the incident.

“Everyone has been so supportive, heaps of people have been trying to help us find them, which was awesome,” she said.

“That was something that struck us — so many people said they’ve had similar experiences.

“It is such a good reminder that you just have to be so careful in the water.”