Students rescued from rip ordeal
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Three university students have had a lucky escape after being caught in a rip at a New South Wales far south coast beach.
The drama unfolded on Monday evening when a surfer driving past McKenzies Beach, south of Batemans Bay, noticed three people in an area known to have a permanent rip.
The three Canberra university students were in trouble in the treacherous conditions and the Malua Bay surf lifesavers were alerted.
By the time they got to the beach, one woman had crawled out of the water but the other two were still in trouble.
One surf club member rescued the second woman on a board, while others had to tackle the three metre surf to reach the third, who had drifted 800 metres out to sea.
All three women were taken to Batemans Bay Hospital for treatment and discharged later that night.
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