The 22-year-old had just hooked his second fish of the day when a rogue wave "a storey and a-half high" swept his partner of two years - Sharni Aitken (18) - from the rocks and into the water below on Sunday.
"I thought that was a pretty mean wave, and then I realised she was gone and must be in the water."
Waiting for her to surface, he yelled at one of his friends with whom he had gone fishing to get his boogie board, and then waited for another large wave to come in before diving into the water to save her.
"I can't really swim, but I didn't really have time to think about that."
None of the party was wearing life jackets.
After Mr Bradley found Miss Aitken in the water, they helped support each other while they attempted to get back to shore.
As the waves smashed them back into the rocks, one of his friends helped grab Miss Aitken as Mr Bradley "gave her a footy".
Covered in cuts and bruises, Miss Aitken was taken to Dunedin Hospital by the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter, and released on Sunday night.
As well as sustaining facial, arm and back lacerations, Miss Aitken also lost an expensive pair of sneakers and a jersey.
"Someone might see a seal wearing them," he said.
Mr Bradley, who escaped the incident with minor injuries, had a broken finger courtesy of an earlier boogie-boarding incident, which kept the meat worker at home for several weeks.
Ending what had been an eventful Valentine's Day, the couple settled for the rather sedate activity of watching the Chinese New Year fireworks at the Chinese Garden.
Asked if the couple planned to go fishing again, Mr Bradley said they were both keen.
"You don't fall off a horse and not get back up again."
