This season, with its fires, highway closures and evacuations he's had four.

His business, Walking on Water, was not directly affected by the disaster but the summer takings have gone up in smoke all the same.

And the mountain of red tape he's now confronting to get financial assistance is almost as traumatic as being stuck at Bendalong for three days from January 4 when the fire tore out of the hills and ran down to the coast.

His wife was in the UK, watching the drama unfold on the TV news, his young sons were in Ulladulla and he was trapped by fire unable to be reached.

"It was ferocious. You couldn't even breathe on the beach. I slept at the campsite another night and in the car another night," he said.

As bad as it was, that trauma is now being eclipsed by the struggle to get financial help.

When small business assistance was first announced, he knew a low interest loan was the only option. He did not qualify for a grant because his business was not damaged directly by fire.

"We spent two and a half days and spoke to seven different specialists. We went through the whole process being told we'd qualify for a loan until the very last bit when we were told, 'You don't qualify because you don't own your home and there's nothing to secure the loan against.'"

He is now working with an accountant on an application for another type of loan but is still unsure if he will qualify for that.

"I've had to get an accountant on it because the amount of paperwork is enormous."

Paying for an accountant is another expense he can't afford.

"I've got 25 new stand up paddle boards. That's $25,000. I've got a whole new fleet of single, double and triple kayaks, all ready for the new season.

"Normally, our suppliers let us pay for all that at the end of January. Guess what? With four clients, we don't have the money."

He said the red tape he has encountered could have serious mental health implications for already stressed business owners.

"The hoops you have to jump through are so complicated and so involved it feels like they are trying to trip you up and stop you getting the help you need."

His message for Prime Minister Scott Morrison: "Putting that much red tape in front of people who've been to hell and back, after giving them hope they'll be helped, then telling them they don't qualify is enough to push some over the edge."

This is the second time Mr Twitchen's livelihood has been impacted by fire. A surf school he owned in the UK before emigrating to Australia was destroyed in a blaze and he lost everything.

"This fire has brought all that back for me."