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Ocean Education Saves Lives
Looking
out at the calm, turquoise-colored water on a beautiful
sunny day, twin sisters decided to go for a short swim
close to shore. The cool water felt good against their
sun-warmed bodies as they dove into the ocean. Because
of the tranquil conditions, they hadn't noticed the
current was slowly taking them further out. By the time
either of the girls realized they had drifted out, a
series of high waves came crashing in. To make matters
more precarious there were large rocks to their right
and left of where they were. What moments earlier had
been a serene and pleasurable situation had now become
a matter of life and death.
By chance, a vigilant and highly aware surfer happened
to see the two sisters struggling in this life threatening
situation. Realizing there wasn't enough time to summon
lifeguards or additional help with no one else on the
beach the surfer bravely dove in and made his way to
the already panic stricken girls. Making this rescue
more difficult was the ocean currents, which had dramatically
increased with the flurry of strong and powerful oncoming
waves.
Rescuing a potential drowning victim (let alone two)
can be very hazardous especially if the swimmer or swimmers
are panicked. Knowing he had to stabilize this situation,
the surfer upon reaching the twins called out ,"Everything
will be OK, I'm here," and to the shock of the
distressed girls he added, "I'll save you, but
it's going to cost you a six pack of beer."
Now at first you might think, "hey, wait a minute
what's up with that?" The truth of the matter is,
this brave surfer didn't really care about the beer
and would have performed this dramatic rescue (risking
his own life) either way beer or no beer.
The fact is the surfer was psychologically calming the
twins, letting them know this perilous situation was
under control; his control. Incredulous, at first the
pair quickly agreed and seconds later were both in the
safe arms of a highly experienced waterman. Now, he
had to determine how to get everyone together safely
back to shore. Fortunately while the surfer was making
the rescue others who were passing by witnessing the
unfolding drama and the severity of the situation used
cell phones to alert lifeguards.
Hearing the lifeguard and fire engine sirens, the surfer
knew additional help was on the way. It wasn't long
before a lifeguard came swimming out to assist in the
rescue.
The
experienced surfer and lifeguard made a plan how best
to get the sisters to the beach. With one sister in
the surfers arms and the other with the lifeguard they
cautiously made their way to shore through the rocks
and waves. To the relief of the twins and the now throng
of people watching, everyone made it made it safely
to shore.
Fortunately for these girls there was someone who knew
what to do, and acted, Sadly, with just a minimal of
ocean education and water safety information most drowning
could be prevented, subverting a very dangerous situation.
These girls were lucky. Many who face similar predicaments
are not. Currently, unless someone takes a specialized
water safety course, prudent ocean education is hard
to come by. Drowning is known as the silent death, no
one can hear a scream from someone under the water.
The very first thing surfers, swimmers and beach goers
alike should do every single time they come to the beach,
is do an ocean observation. Look for hazards such as
rocks, riptides, strong currents and wave size. Remember
the ocean can be calm one minute and active the next
so it pays to do more than a cursory check.
Take note. Many times riptides occur in between waves
or off to the side of where waves break. More than one
swimmer has run into trouble when they were in the waves
and swam over to "calm" water only to get
caught in a riptide. In fact, it's a good idea to swim
in with the waves as they can help getting to shore
be swifter.
Drowning can occur in waves also if surfers or swimmers
are inexperienced and not sure what to do. Usually most
surfers and swimmers can hold their breath while going
under a wave or two. It's when going under multiple
waves that trouble can occur. The best thing to do in
this situation is instead of diving under the waves
and coming up to face another, don't dive, stay water
level and let the waves push you in.
One of the worst things to do in the ocean is to panic.
If you are ever in a hazardous situation remember the
A.B.C 's of surfing; always be cool. If you ever find
yourself under water needing air, stay calm and relaxed
which will help conserve strength and oxygen. There
are many proactive ways to prevent trouble and drown
proof those who use the ocean Unfortunately the information
is held by only a few including the hero in this story..
The two sisters made good on their agreement for the
six pack of beer only they upped it to a case and helped
drink it! They both agreed, although unorthodox, that
when the cocky surfer made the request he must have
been awfully sure of himself and that everything would
be alright. They weren't afraid after that. With ocean
popularity and beach use at an all time high it is a
shame pro-active and preventative ocean education isn't.
By taking the time to learn water safety and ocean education
from experienced professionals and exercising common
sense drowning can be prevented. The cost of a six pack
of beer is cheap. The cost of a life is priceless. Sea
you in the surf.
The Willis Bros. are surfing experts recognized for
surfing the worlds largest waves and teaching thousands
in Hawaii and California to surf.
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