Every year Tim Teale stops on November 11, reflects and messages Charlestown Swim Centre's Nick Ophir to thank him for saving his life.
Everything Mr Teale has in his life, the 31-year-old father of two contributes to Mr Ophir, who literally kept his heart pumping.
It was a gloomy afternoon on November 11, 2012, when a then 17-year-old Mr Teale, fresh off finishing his HSC exams, attempted to swim 25 metres underwater at his local Charlestown pool.
"I was down the far end, and I dived in, and I swam the lap as hard as I possibly could, and I got to the other end, and my legs went all jelly and funny, and I thought, 'My god, I'm going to pass out,'" Mr Teale said this week from his home on the Gold Coast.
"I thought, 'If I pass out in the water, I'm gone for.' So, I just managed to get my torso out of the water, and that's when I carked it."
Mr Ophir sprang into action. The veteran lifeguard used a defibrillator and did CPR to bring Mr Teale back to life on the pool deck.
"It's quite an interesting term; it's called CPR-induced consciousness, which is when someone is pumping your heart manually and they're pumping oxygen through your brain so you remain conscious when you're under CPR," Mr Teale said.
"I could see the blue shadow of Nick's shirt come in and out of my vision when I was under as that blood was circulating back through to my brain.
"When I woke up and saw that it was Nick, at that point, he realised who I was."
Mr Teale had known Mr Ophir since he was a small boy due to his family's frequent visits to the Charlestown Swim Centre.
Following the cardiac arrest, Mr Teale was diagnosed with a heart defect, a bicuspid aortic valve, and underwent surgery at the Westmead Children's Hospital.
He still manages the condition and will require future surgery.
"It's hard to put into words what Nick's actions that afternoon have meant," he said.
"Everything I've experienced since I was 17, including the family I have today, is only possible because Nick was there, knew what to do and saved my life."
Mr Teale said he would have loved to have returned to Charlestown on Friday - but was unable due to family commitments - to honour Mr Ophir, who will retire after 41 years working at Lake Macquarie City Council pools.
The council is hosting a barbecue to celebrate Mr Ophir's career, which began as a 19-year-old casual lifeguard at Redhead Beach. In 1985 he started full-time at Swansea pool, before transferring to Charlestown in 1995.
Asked about rescues during the four decades of service, Mr Ophir said, "Timmy's the big one. It was a big medical episode. His heart stopped.
"I was just very lucky I was in the right spot."
Ever humble, Mr Ophir appreciates what his actions meant to Mr Teale and his family.
"God love him, I was at Charlestown Square shopping centre, and I was talking to someone, and he yelled out, 'See this man? He saved my life.' He embarrassed me," Mr Ophir laughed.
"I'm blessed and lucky. With Timmy, we got really lucky that day, because if that had happened anywhere else..."
Mr Ophir said the families and regulars he met made the pool such an enjoyable place to work.
"If you do this job long enough, you'll see these kids come back with their kids," he said.
Some of those kids he's seen learn to swim at Charlestown include Australian representatives Yvette Rodier and Thomas Fraser-Holmes. The latter won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and competed at two Olympics.
The changes Mr Ophir has experienced have been immense.
Back in 1985, the pool entry was 40 cents for an adult. In 2026, it's $7.10.
"It was all pen and paper and turnstiles," he said.
"There were no computers. Everything was pen and paper. There was no coaching, and Learn To Swim was leased and contracted out."
The 63-year-old plans to travel in retirement, starting with a trip to Bali on Sunday.
However, he won't be completely lost to the Charlestown pool. Mr Ophir hopes to dust off the hat and whistle for the odd casual shift.
