Taj Burrow narrowly escaped a dangerous rescue in Western Australia. Photo: Kalani Cummins//Instagram
While chasing barrels during the first major autumn swell in Western Australia, Taj Burrow was pulled into a Jet Ski rescue that ultimately put him in greater danger than the surfers he was trying to help.
Speaking on the Barreled Surf Podcast, Taj Burrow said a low-flying helicopter caught his attention on March 1 while he was offshore on a Jet Ski and motioned for him to follow. Unsure what the situation was, but recognizing the hand signal, Burrow motored 10 kilometers down the coast with his friend Dino Adrian.
They came across three people stranded a kilometer offshore, clinging to one surfboard. One of them had lost his board in the heavy surf and was sucked out to sea. A friend paddled after him for support. The third person was a rescue member of the helicopter that dropped into the water to be with them, which Burrow said was illogical because it just complicated the rescue.
“It was the most treacherous rip I’ve ever seen, running out next to this bombie,” said Burrow.
The group devised a plan: Burrow would take the surfer who lost his board back to the beach on the ski. He looked rattled and tired from battling the current for so long. The other two people in the water would wait for the rescue boat that was en route.
Burrow said he knew the contours of the reef really well and could quickly drop the surfer off at the beach and make it back out.
“And once we did a turnaround, me and Dino looked at each other and went, ‘Oh, we are f#%ked,’” explained Burrow. “It was the most savage looking ocean, dry reef and rocks, and there are ledges popping out everywhere. It was hideous.”
“It just looked like there was no way we were ever getting back out,” he added. “The ocean was doing that crazy surge where the whole ocean would draw out and we were just high and dry on rocks, and then the whole ocean would surge in. It looked like a tsunami was coming.”
They became trapped in a small lagoon with the ski, rocks on all sides, and big “12-foot” waves rolling through.
“We were basically getting pin-balled on rocks and trying to stay in this little deep (area),” he said. “We were looking for a lull.
“It was the wildest I’ve ever seen it,” he added. “There was no escape.”
To make matters worse, Burrow discovered that the rocks had smashed the steering and the ski couldn’t turn left. By now, everyone had been rescued, but Burrow was trapped.
“I was just like, ‘Why the f#&k did I come in here?’” he said. “Everyone’s safe, but now I’m stuck with my ski getting bashed around on the rocks.”
Finally, a big wave threw them off the ski and over the rocks. They managed to drag the ski over to a sandy spot, debating on just leaving it on the beach, even though Burrow knew it would likely get swept away with the rising tide.
Right as they were about to drive the ski up the beach and leave it, the ocean went calm. They made a split-second decision to go out to sea with the damaged ski. Burrow notes it was scary going back out without proper flotation or surfboards.
“I saw the gap, I jumped on, and I just f#%king went for it,” said Burrow. “I kind of shot through this bit of reef, and it sucked me down, like whitewater rafting. Then I popped up and I had to dodge a big rock. And then it started drawing and really gnarly. I’ve never even come close to anything like this, so wild, so powerful and big.”
Burrow hit the throttle (still unable to turn left), punched over a big wave, and successfully made it out of the impact zone.
“Well, I’m pretty happy that we all got everyone safe, obviously, but I just did not think I was gonna get my ski out of there,” said Burrow. “I’m happy we got that, and everyone’s cool.”
