“Don’t Think She Had Much Longer”: Surfer Comes to Rescue Just in Time to Save Struggling Swimmer in Horrifying Conditions

Swimming, despite being an innocuous and fun activity, bears its share of dangers. Time and again, there have been instances where the seemingly calm waters turn into something violent in moments. As a 14-year-old girl finds herself stranded in the middle of the water body, minutes after she was swimming on the shore, the risks of swimming in open water become all the more alarming. Thanks to a surfer with 20 years of experience, the girl is alive today.

It is always advisable to proceed with precaution be it surfing, swimming, or any other water activity. Given that it was a novice who entered into the water of the Ballygally, without the supervision of an adult, the dangers increase manifolds itself.

With 20 years of surfing experience, the man saved the girl in the nick of time

“In my 20 years of surfing, I’ve been in a couple of situations but that was by far the worst, I don’t think she had much longer”, said the surfer to Belfast Live. The man who came to her rescue spoke with the local news channel without revealing his name. However, the fact that he expertized in rescuing stranded people from the middle of the water, was perfectly clear to the authorities.

The 14-year-old girl and her friends were at Ballygally Beach near Larne, Northern Ireland on Saturday. As she took a dip in the water, she floated away a fair amount of distance in no time. The surfer said, “I’d be very comfortable in the water due to my experience and I’ve been involved in two other rescues, but she was about 500 feet out from the shore”.

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He could only be of help after her friends alerted two surfers about her predicament at around 4 pm. Involved in saving several lives from similar situations before, the man firmly believed this was the closest call he attended. He, thus, wanted to raise the alarm for precautions while entering the water.

 Why it’s so important to be cautious while surfing or swimming

“I just wanted to get it out there that people need to be careful in the water because if I wasn’t there or if I didn’t have the surfboard with me, I don’t think I could have swam out and brought her back”, said the surfer in complete anonymity. He also mentioned that as he rushed into the waters to save her, he didn’t realize how little or young the stranded girl was. He initially assumed her to be some deep water swimmer with experience, as they too find themselves in trouble. However, given that this was just a young teenager, the man felt it was even more urgent to raise awareness for safety and precaution.

In the end, the girl simply said thanks to the man and ran back to her friends, still scared of what she just went through. Sometime earlier this year, a 7-year-old swimmer saved the lives of his father and sister as the current swept them away. This further reinstates the dangers of swimming in water without proper measures. Whichever way the danger was averted, the risks of open sea swimming remain in that area and it must be paid attention to.

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