Titles off after teen dies in sea

MARCH 19: Competitors at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships packed up and left North Kirra on Friday following the death of young competitor Saxon Bird.

Blainey Woodham/Tweed Daily News

Photos

News in pictures - March 2010

View Photo Gallery »

COMPETITORS at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships packed up and left North Kirra yesterday as the search continued for a missing competitor at Kurruwa.

The southern Gold Coast competition site was packed up as Saxon Bird was rushed to hospital about 1.30pm DST.

Paramedics attempted to resuscitate the 19-year-old as he was transported to Gold Coast Hospital, but he was pronounced dead that afternoon.

The teenager’s surf ski washed on to the beach about 12.30am (DST) during the under-19 ironman event and an air and sea search over a one kilometre section of beach found him within an hour.

It is believed he was knocked out by the ski in rough, 1.5m to 2m swell off Kurruwa.

Organisers of the championships partially relocated the event to North Kirra after two surfboat crew suffered spinal injuries competing at Kurruwa on Thursday.

Surf Life Saving Australia told competitors not to talk to the media as the tragedy unfolded, but two Tugun club members told the Tweed Daily News how competitors were stunned at the tragedy.

“It is very sad, very tragic,” the competitor said as she packed up her car.

She was glad competition had been suspended.

“The competitors are all very pleased it has been called off for the day as a sign of respect for the family,” she said.

“I think a lot of the kids might think hard about whether they want to compete tomorrow, it just wouldn’t feel right.”

She and another competitor had heard that Bird had been hit by his board and said it was the type of tragedy that could even happen when training in small swell.

“It is not just the waves, this could happen at any time,” another female competitor said.

Bird, from Denistone, in Sydney’s northwest, was representing the Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club.

He was a member of the NSW surf life saving high performance team and has taken a number of national titles over the past four years.

Robert Gatenby, 15, a member of Kurrawa’s under-18 boat crew, drowned at the 1996 nationals at the same beach, as Cyclone Beti ravaged the Queensland coast.

The championships have been suspended indefinitely and a decision will be made today on whether they continue. Police are investigating the incident.