Witness Julee Brienen was having coffee with friends at Bulli Beach Cafe when she saw the man get in to trouble around 10.20am.

“He was out there for a long time in the big surf,” she said.

It’s believed other cafe patrons called emergency services when they realised the bodyboarder was struggling.

A police boat came to the rescue “within minutes”.

Wollongong police duty officer Mick Green said the victim was “pretty active” in the water and that he seemed to be “doing OK” once pulled onto the boat.

The Illawarra coast was lashed with dangerous surf conditions Wednesday morning with wave heights between five and nine metres.