Taj Burrow Rescues Grom In Trouble

Taj Burrow may be retired, but that doesn’t mean his life is devoid of action. Last Friday, Taj rescued 12-year-old Gwelup grom Chloe Campbell, who got in trouble after her leash snapped during her under-14 heat in Taj’s Small Fries junior competition.

TB was already in the water with the girls to give them help and encouragement in the challenging conditions, with larger sets coming in around six feet, when the incident went down. “The jetski wasn’t able to get to where she (Chloe) was,” Taj told The SundayTimes. “But luckily I was right next to her and I could tell she was kind of panicking a bit, so I just gave her my surfboard.”

Surfing WA/Nick Woolacott

Already a massive fan of the WA surfing legend, Chloe was able to get to shore safely thanks to Taj’s assistance, and now has a v good story to tell her friends.

“I was in tears (back on the beach) because I was very overwhelmed and frustrated, so I just said, ‘Thank you for saving me,’” said Chloe. “He said, ’Nah, it’s all good!’ and gave me a pat on the back. I’m a big fan, and he really helped me out and is a great person, very nice.”

“I did what anyone would have done,” said TB, prudent as ever.

Surfing WA/Nick Woolacott