In the early hours of the morning, Liam Jackson stood on the beach ready to start swimming training with the rest of his team.

The Coogee lifesavers were not yet on duty but, as a lifesaver and representative swimmer, 14-year-old Liam wasn't concerned.

Early swimmers at Coogee Beach. Credit:Daniel Munoz

As they ran and dived into the water, a small wave clipped Liam's feet and steered him towards the sand, crushing his head into his chest.

"I walked out of the water and collapsed," he says of the 2015 incident. Liam lay in the Sydney Children's Hospital for two days, unable to move, with a fractured spine. He could walk, but found himself in a neck brace for three months.