Surf Life Saving Illawarra volunteers were kept busy across the Australia Day long weekend as they responded to eight calls for assistance.
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Residents and visitors flocked to the region's beaches to enjoy warm and sunny weather.
The most serious incident saw lifesavers rescue four people who were caught in a rip at an unpatrolled area near Bulli Beach late Monday afternoon.
Lifesavers used inflatable rescue boats to bring the people, who were also assisted by surfers, to shore.
Surf Life Saving Illawarra duty officer Anthony Turner said one man had to be treated for oxygen therapy.
"He was vomiting as he had ingested quite a lot of water," Mr Turner said. "He was drifting in and out of consciousness.
"We had to keep him awake until the NSW Ambulance crew came and transported him to Wollongong Hospital."
Mr Turner said it was lucky a volunteer lifesaver was near the beach when the Triple 000 call came through about 5.30pm.
"The swimmers were a couple of hundred metres away from shore," he said. "We are not sure how they got there."
Mr Turner said the "near drowning" highlighted the importance of swimming between the red and yellow flags at patrolled beaches.
"It could have been a tragic event," he said.
"Somebody could have drowned if it wasn't for the quick response of the off-duty lifesavers and the inflatable rescue boats crews from Woonona and Bulli."
At Thirroul beach, a man was transported to hospital after he collapsed. Lifesavers treated the man with first aid.
Another man was rescued from the water after falling off a jetski in a surf zone. A Thirroul inflatable rescue boat crew and lifesaving support operations crews returned the man and jetski to shore, where he was treated with first aid.
A woman was also pulled from the surf at Thirroul. She was unconscious and lifesavers started CPR before NSW Ambulance arrived and took her to hospital.
Lifesavers also provided first aid to a woman with a serious ankle injury at Bulli, to a young person who swallowed water at North Wollongong lagoon, and two other people at Corrimal and Coalcliff who suffered medical episodes. All were taken to hospital.