His prayers were answered when he came to on the beach, surrounded by strangers who had worked together to save his life. 

Among them were a surf club member out for an early swim, an off-duty nurse taking a walk along the cycleway and a family enjoying the sunny morning.

‘’I went for a body surf around 7am and was catching the last wave in when it dumped me headfirst into a sandbank,’’ Mr Crinis said.

‘’I felt this thud and I tried to stand up but I couldn’t move my arms or legs. I couldn’t help myself and I felt myself sinking, and I started sucking in water.

‘’My last thought before I passed out was that I hoped someone had seen it happen, because otherwise I was going to die.’’

After acting quickly to pull him out of the water, his rescuers alerted Wollongong City Council lifeguards Tim Jennett and Dillon Ruiz who helped stabilise him before paramedics arrived.

‘’On a Saturday morning the flags go up at 8am and we were in the office before our shift started when we got a knock on the door that a person was being pulled out of the water,’’ Mr Jennett said.

‘’When we got there Peter was conscious but not quite alert and was trying to get rid of all the water he had swallowed. We had a registered nurse assisting us until the paramedics arrived.

‘’It’s great that people came to his aid so quickly.’’

Mr Crinis, 69, was taken to Wollongong Hospital where he’s being treated for a hairline fracture in his C3 vertabrae, and he’ll be in a neck brace for several weeks.

‘’His lungs were full of salt water and if these people hadn’t pulled him out of the water and stabilised his neck, he would have been in a far worse state,’’ his wife Vicki said.

‘’We are so lucky that we live in North Wollongong where the community is so vibrant, so willing to help – young people especially who just rallied around.’’

Mr Crinis is well known, after running Crinis Fruit Market at Figtree for 33 years before retiring two years ago. 

His sons Aaron and Stan run Diggies cafe – just metres from where the incident occurred. They weren’t at work, however manager Elise Flowers ran down to assist. 

‘’Without the help of all these people I reckon I’d be dead – I’m very thankful.’’

A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman advised people to check the water depth and topography before diving into any body of water.

‘’People should be careful in and around all forms of water, especially in areas where they cannot see to the bottom as there may be hidden dangers such as sandbars and rocks,’’ she said.

The spokeswoman said first aid for suspected head, neck or spinal/back injuries should include the following: