Rescued at Sea
JIM: | |||
1 | “As a parent, my dad is pretty cool - he’s really sporty and especially loves | ||
outdoor activities. And he’s totally obsessed with surfing. On a windy weekend | |||
Dad, Mum, my younger sister Erin and I went to Cornwall as it was one of Dad’s | |||
favourite places. We were all so excited - two whole days of surfing! On the first | |||
day there, surfing! On the first day there, Erin came down with a bug. | |||
Mum stayed behind in our rented cottage to look after her, so Dad and I had | |||
to go to the surf beaches alone. | |||
2 | It was so tiring! As a beginner, I spent more time in the water than on my board | ||
and after an hour, I was exhausted. Plus the tide had turned and the waves | |||
seemed to be getting bigger and rougher. Then, out of nowhere, a huge wave | |||
came at us. Dad had told me to hold on tight but, as it hit me, I panicked and let | |||
go. | |||
3 | The current was very strong and when another wave hit us we both went under. | ||
We were swept into a narrow gap in the cliff. That’s when I knew we were in | |||
trouble. How were we going to get out? Inside the gap was a ledge¹. My dad | |||
helped me climb onto it while he clung to the rocks below. Dad tried to reassure | |||
me but I could tell that he was really scared too. | |||
4 | We were there for over an hour when suddenly we spotted a boat in the distance. | ||
Dad started to wave his arms in the air, shouting for help. We were so relieved to | |||
see it was a lifeboat. When we hadn’t returned, Mum had gone looking for us on | |||
the beach and when she didn’t see us she’d alerted the coastguard. | |||
5 | One of the lifeguards steered the boat towards the ledge and told me to jump in. | ||
I was exhausted and when I jumped, I didn’t make it. As I disappeared under the | |||
surface, I felt an arm grab me and pull me upwards. It was Dad, shoving me into | |||
the boat before climbing in himself. | |||
6 | The crew wrapped us in blankets and raced towards the shore where an | ||
ambulance was waiting to take us to hospital. We were kept in overnight but the | |||
next day we could go home. If it hadn’t been for the lifeboat crew, we’d never have | |||
survived. We owe them so much and can never thank them enough.” |
INFO: stick to beaches patrolled by lifeguards and only swim between the red-and- yellow flags. If you see someone in trouble, alert a lifeguard, or dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard. |