Anyway, I reviewed the Hypothermia post the other day and got to thinking about a water rescue I made a couple of years back. . .
It was the day before the San Diego Marathon. We pulled over to a random beach to take in the view. Brant, my son, ran up and down the beach while my brother and I contemplated difficulty of the race ahead. Over the loud crashing of the waves, we heard a call for 'help'. In fact, we heard the plea for help at the very moment this photo was taken.
Between the wave sets, we saw a wetsuit clad woman, clearly exhausted, wearily wading out of the water. I asked her if she was alright. She coughed, gasped for a breath, and replied, “My mother, my mother is still in the surf.” I couldn’t see the other swimmer. I scanned the beach for a life guard. Nothing. What I did see was a bogie board washed up on the beach.
I stripped down, grabbed the board and crashed out into the ocean. It was rougher than it looked from the beach. I paddled and searched. Nothing. To be honest, I actually started to feel duped. Just then, I spotted a wrist and forearm of a submersed swimmer. I paddled hard and reached down to pull the swimmer on to the board. I introduced myself and paddled her back to safety.
Later, I learned the couple was a mother and daughter visiting from Canada. The daughter had gotten caught in the current while bogie boarding and fully exhausted herself while struggling back to shore. During the ordeal, she lost her board. When the board washed ashore, the mother went in to rescue the daughter and suffered the same fate. The daughter made her way out with the help of the mother. The mother, exhausted, gave up.
Shortly after the rescue, a life guard arrived in a bright yellow truck. He said, he saw the whole thing transpire from another beach and got here as fast as he could. He praised my decision to grab the board before attempting the rescue. After drying off and getting dressed, the lifeguard made a full report. The mother and daughter, still in shock, briefly thanked us, and we were off.
About a month later I received a heartfelt letter from the mother thanking me and describing the event from her perspective. I’ll keep the letter private. As for the marathon, I finished in the bottom half of my age group with a finish time of 4:45. It was my first marathon and I couldn't have been more pleased.
Lessons learned: 1) emergencies don’t always look urgent at first glance and 2) the safest way to attempt a water rescue is with the aid of a flotation device. The second seems obvious, but it makes me think about all the boats, buoys, and pilings in the bay and how these things might be useful in an emergency.
"I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life"
The Fray
