EXHAUSTED after being swept out past the waves at Redhead, experienced surfer Beauyn Crew had started cycling through all the possible eventualities, including the chance of not surviving.
He had been in the water for around an hour and was flagging about 700 metres from the shore and 400 metres from the rocks when he saw the Westpac Rescue Helicopter overhead.
"I was just so relieved and so thankful that someone had come for me," Beauyn said.
"I basically just let him [critical care paramedic Jeremy Veness] take control.
"On the way up to the chopper he probably didn't hear me because it was so loud, but I was saying 'Thank you, thank you so much'.
"I was saying that over and over again. I had tears streaming down my face."
Less than 24 hours after he was winched to safety on Tuesday night, the Belmont North spray painter, 17, got to express his gratitude loud and clear to the crew he credits with saving his life.
He visited the helicopter's Belmont base on Wednesday to meet Mr Veness, who had been winched down and placed the rescue strop around Beauyn.
It had taken Mr Veness, doctor Alan Garner, air crewman Glen Ramplin and pilot Andre Smith just 16 minutes from lift off to retrieve Beauyn and land at Redhead at 7pm.
An ambulance took Beauyn to John Hunter Hospital.
"It [meeting patients afterwards] doesn't happen very often for the amount of jobs you do, definitely, [but] it always is good," Mr Veness said.
Despite Beauyn wearing a dark wetsuit and night approaching, Mr Veness said, being in "clean water" had made the rescue "less difficult".
Beauyn and his girlfriend Bre had visited the deserted beach around 6pm on Tuesday so he could surf with his friend Will.
"I caught a wave and all of a sudden the sets shifted and the tide got heavier," he said.
"I duck dived under a wave and then popped up, looked around and was nearly in amongst the rocks at the bluff.
"I had to ditch my board because it just kept dragging me closer and closer to the rocks...I swam as far away as possible, then the tide took me out."
Beauyn said he waved at Bre and Will, who had returned to the shore, but they couldn't see him.
He then noticed two people climbing down the bluff and started launching himself out of the water and screaming for help.
He credits them with calling Triple-Zero and hopes to one day thank them in person too.
"I had nothing left but adrenaline and that's what I was running off," he said.
"I was running out of breath and could barely feel anything because I was just fighting for my life."
Beauyn said he wept, "let go" and lay still when the helicopter arrived.
He had a "chill day" on Wednesday - and bought a new surfboard.
