Dramatic moment exhausted swimmer is plucked from sea by rescue lifeboat

30 October 2023 , 14:13

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Dramatic moment exhausted swimmer is plucked from sea by rescue lifeboat

Footage captures the moment a swimmer became stranded in a powerful current off the British coast.

Ian Heppenstall was exhausted after being caught in the riptide at Porthcawl, south Wales, and struggled to muster the energy to even wave for help. The father admitted he would have died had he not resorted to "Float Mode," a technique Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) recommends to anyone in grave danger.

Speaking today, Ian said: "It was like being in a washing machine and having a small car dropped on my head every few minutes. I managed to get out of the rip current, but it took all my energy to escape – I was shattered with nothing left in me. Then I went into Float mode."

An exhausted Ian is hauled aboard (RNLI)

Ian lay on his back with his ears submerged, and tried to breathe normally. Rescuers with RNLI were able to spot the swimmer and save him on Sunday October 8.

Footage it has shared with Ian's permission shows rescuers reach the stricken dad and haul him onto the boat. They rushed him back to the shore where an ambulance was waiting.

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Ian added: "It took all my energy to float, I couldn’t even wave my arms and used the last of my energy to shout for help. If I hadn’t known how to float, I wouldn’t have survived. I felt so sorry for my wife and son – they couldn’t do anything for me, I was thinking of them more than myself in that moment.

"I felt an immense sense of relief when I saw the lifeboat coming to rescue me. There are never enough words to thank someone for saving your life. The RNLI crews’ bravery is incredible and I’ll be forever in their debt."

Porthcawl RNLI volunteer lifeboat helm Joe Missen said: "When the pagers sounded it was one of those situations where time was of the essence as we were being called to a person in the water.

"When we reached the casualty, we saw him floating on his back as per the RNLI’s safety advice. Luckily he remembered how to Float to Live as without this piece of lifesaving advice, the outcome may have been very different.

"This is another example of how Float to Live has helped the RNLI’s volunteers save a life. We encourage everyone to learn to float by watching our videos online and sharing the message with their friends and family – and to practice in a safe place before you go to the coast."

Bradley Jolly