John Robins died in a tragic surfing accident. He was part of a surf lifesaving group and an avid surfer.
The man who died yesterday in a freak accident in near Margaret River yesterday has been identified as John Robins, a lifelong surfer and devoted family man.
Robins was 51-years-old. While it’s still not clear, it is believed that either the nose of one of his fins cut his femoral artery after he fell on a wave at Surfers Point at around 11 am. He was on a trip with his wife, two children and his elderly father at the time of the accident. After his wipeout, other surfers in the water helped him back to the beach. “I was riding a wave, and that guy said, ‘I’ve got to get out,” said local surfer, Joerg Jordi. “He didn’t say ‘I’m injured’ or anything like that, so I just thought he had enough.” Afterwards, Jordi noticed the trail of blood in the water. He warned others in the area that there might’ve been a shark attack.
As his wife, father, and two children watched, bystanders performed CPR on Robins after he lost consciousness from blood loss. After nearly half an hour, he was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to the Daily Telegraph, he was involved in the rescue of a woman after she and a friend were washed off the rocks at Avoca Beach in 2012. The two women were washed off the rocks by a rogue wave when three 13-year-old members of the Surf Lifesaving Club saw them. A kayaker had paddled over to them, and the boys helped the women while the kayaker paddled for more help. Garry Clarke, the Avoca Beach Surf LifesSaving Club President, told the Courier Mail that lifeguards and off-duty volunteer lifeguard arrived soon afterwards, and helped with the rescue. While one woman survived the ordeal, the other wasn’t able to be resuscitated.
Robins was a member of the Avoca Surf Lifesaving Club, a group of skilled volunteers that patrol beaches from October through May each year. They also have one of the largest active surf sports clubs, and are an important part of the local community. Robins played a large role in that community, and his death has rocked the tiny town. “When it’s one of your own it’s a kick in the guts,”said Brett Beswick, a member of the Surf Club. “A lot of people are just walking around in shock, they couldn’t believe it. He was one of those guys that drew people to him, a friendly nature,” he continued. “We’d quite often sit out there on the rocks and have a beer after having a surf.”
Robins was also an accomplished surfer who loved big waves. Last year, for his 50th birthday, he surfed 15-foot Pipeline. “He went to Hawaii last year for his 50th and surfed 15-foot waves at Pipeline which was a dream for him,” said Beswick. “We used to surf together a lot, pushed each other on to more gnarly waves. If he was going to go out anyway he went out doing something he loved. I’m glad it wasn’t a shark attack.”
