I saved a life today and it was surreal

[Paq]

Christmas morning in my town in the far south west, there were 100s of people down on the local beach, lots in swimming.

I was heading into the sea with my family group and there was a man, face down in the sea, being moved around by the surf.

He in his 80s (?) and had gone out for a swim in just trunks. He was only 1-2 metres from the shore, in thigh high water, but he had gotten so cold and disoriented he was just silently and peacefully drowning while dozens of people were absorbed in their own family groups and fun. He had lost the ability think about getting his feet under him to stand up.

I got his face out of the water and he just blinked up at me. My mum (73! and also going in for a swim) and I got him to his feet and up the beach to where his towel and clothes were. He was still really out of it but we could tell he was going to be ok.

The whole incident was bizarre. Literally no one else noticed him drowning or us rescuing him. They were so caught up in their own thing. This is how kids drown in crowded pools, isn't it?

Drowning is silent, there's no splashing about, no cries for help. Even after I hauled him up and asked if he was ok he didn't say anything. He wasn't loud panicking, it was like he'd half shut down.

It should have been a safe day today. It was a mild temperature, low tide so shallow entry, small, non-powerful surf.

A long time afterwards a couple of people nearby said they thought he was just enjoying floating in the waves. Because he wasn't panicking.

Anyway, if you are by the sea this Christmas, look around, check if everyone is ok. Happy Christmas everyone.

That’s so sad. Well done for saving him.

Well done op, I hope you are okay too. My best mate saved someone from drowning once and the next day she was in bits - the shock kicked in and she was very emotional. Look after yourself and be proud xx

Well done @Paq . Merry Christmas

How frightening. Glad you were there and able to help him.

Cold water shock can suck the energy out of you so quickly. I nearly came a cropper myself one March- also in Cornwall, and wearing a wetsuit. Literally crawled out of the sea, couldn't stand up.

Also saw the coastguard helicopter today, over the Helford.

Err? Explain please

I’ve just realised I don’t actually know what the signs of drowning are. Can someone tell me the signs?

www.thepragmaticparent.com/quick-silent-deadly-know-5-signs-drowning/

Cold water can cause strokes.

Thanks

Amazing. Well done for noticing and for rescuing him. You maybe is shock yourself, so be gentle with yourself over the next few days.

Well done OP!

I’m so sad that cold water swimming has become trendy, it’s so dangerous 😢

ALWAYS ALWAYS call an ambulance for someone that has spent anytime drowning. Even if they look ok afterwards.

Glad you were there op, but it is SO important they get checked out. Especially when it’s cold, especially when they are elderly. The bacteria that will have entered the lungs need antibiotics.

If you see anyone in water help them out if you can safely then call 999 every time.

SEcondary drowning is death caused by the affect of inhaled water in your body, hours or days after you are "saved"

I hope the old man received prompt and thorough medical attention, otherwise, yes, secondary drowning is very very likely

Absolutely an ambulance was needed, he needs emergency medical attention. You cant possibly tell by eye if he is going to die tonight or tomorrow or the next day from secondary drowning, however sprightly he is, and however much he is jogging

Thanks for sharing. I had no idea drowning was such a quiet process and will keep an extra eye out in future.

Exactly, and inhaling bacteria causes tertiary drowning, which kills weeks after the original incident

Well done! A while back I was telling my kids that drowning is usually quiet, and to look out for people whose faces are only just above the water or who keep going under. In the movies drowning people splash and scream. In real life they’re quiet and still because they’ve run out of energy to save themselves. There’s a good YouTube video about it.

yes, you can get secondary drowning from salt water, but it is actually more likely from fresh water, as salt water is closer to the composition of our body fluid, so fresh water is more physiologically disruptive, if inhaled.

This is why so many children die of secondary drowning after accidents in baths and paddling pools, The parents pull them out, the children cry, then seem to recover, the parents think the danger is over, the child dies 24-48 hours later

Well done, OP!
Drowning is so often utterly silent
splash free, and the person is just under the water a little, stationary, or semi flailing.

Some people just sink like a stone .
It is frightening.

The old boy definitely had his life saved.

Well done op. Don't be surprised if you get flash backs for a while as it is such a surreal thing to be so directly involved in. I save a man who was silently drowning with his son clinging on to him and inadvertently pushing him under. Busy beach, not too far out and not making a sound It was only because I caught his eye and noticed his expressionless face as he bobbed under a few times. I had to dive in and pull him out (he was fine) but for quite a few months I got disconcerting flashbacks.

This - I’m really shocked at the “he seemed ok really quickly sentiment”. Not least because he was an older gentleman.

The people on the beach at the time, who I spoke to about the incident, included qualified beach lifeguards and various medics, did not see any need for an ambulance so I followed their lead. I don't believe he inhaled any water. There was no coughing or trouble breathing.

As I said before, it was the equivalent of grabbing someone before they went over a cliff, seconds away from disaster but ultimately he was ok.

I swim most days at the same beach, and I suspect he does too (we have a posse of hardened senior swimmers here) so when I bump into him again I will let you all know he's ok.

Thanks for all the good wishes ❤️

@lechatnoir well done, that does sound traumatic. No aftershock here thankfully, just happy to have been alert enough.

My DD rescued a couple of kids on a paddleboard a few years ago. They were in a estuary and being swept out to sea. She got them back to shore before the parents even noticed they were in trouble!

Paddleboards are the Cornish RNLIs nightmare at the moment. So many idiots on them in dangerous places such as Crantock (estuary)
😔