Ripped & Rescued.....

[Big H]

So I was walking along the edge of the water today coming back down the beach to the parking lot after a c@#$p sesh....waves were crumbly and blown out, three swells working against each other (primary, secondary and fair sized wind swell)....wind was still blowing pretty hard and the ocean was a choppy mess....there is a big rip just in front of where I park and as I was trudging back through the ankle deep water one of the beach vendors that I talk to frequently was fishing about 100m further down the beach, started to whistle and wave his arms around....I looked at him and he pointed out to the water, so I turn my head and there are three people flailing around in the water about 40m out.....I see lifeguards in full sprint but they are still pretty far from where I am so I ran into the surf and sprint paddled out to the three of them (two Aussie men in their 50s and an Indonesian woman mid 30s, all pretty large sized) and put my lifesaving training into action....long story short, I took the one in the most trouble and the two lifeguards made it out fairly quickly after me and took the two others and we all moved back to the beach. They were really panicked and the woman was choking and coughing for awhile after getting back in shin deep water. I could smell the alcohol on them as they loudly proclaimed that they couldn't swim and had been sucked out by the strong rip while in waist deep water. I gave them a quick visual lesson on where to swim and where not to swim in the immediate area and told them to be careful.

A little action for the day....more than I got in the waves.....friend of the family drown off Kuta beach (down from where I was today in Legian) a couple few months ago. I am grateful that I was able to help and that I know how to do rescues properly and stay safe in the process....I would encourage everyone who spends a lot of time around the water to take a lifesaving course if you haven't already....I was a teenage lifeguard and have multiple certifications from working as a dive master, dive officer on the university research boat and as a dive instructor....you never know when you will need it and if you're in and around the water often what happened to me today might just happen to you.

And oh yeah, learn about rips and how to spot them if you don't know already....then teach your wife, your girlfriend, your kids, their friends, nieces, nephews, etc. These three were in waist deep water but I know where they were it is hard to stand still the water is pulling on your legs so hard....one slip and you're in the current and if you don't know how to deal with it ..........well, people turn up as floaters like the family friend.

Food for thought.....

[IanCaio]

The closest I got to saving someone on water was paddling to the outside to guide a kid back, because he paddled out and his parents were worried he might not know how to come back (which seemed like a founded worry since he didn't seem to know how to handle his board well ). It was in a spot known for being a little treasonable. I notice, though, most of the rescues happen in small days, when people think it's safe and for some reason ignore the "Danger: Rip Current" signs, until they are in a bad place and don't know what to do. Alcohol plays a factor there too.
On season life guards are more alert. One day I was trying to teach my sister how to surf on this spot, and I was swimming without a board, so eventually I'd rest holding the board with her. Some life guards came right on, asking if we were fine. I was surprised for the fast response, thanked them and said we were fine, that I was just teaching her

I really appreciate life guards work, it's something noble to put yourself in a more dangerous spot for the sake of other. And I'd actualy like to have a life saving course, if I find any around for a reasonable price. The only reason I don't really think of it as a job, is because for being a regular life guard here you have to enter the military police and then go for life saving course. Apart from that, there are temporary life guards, which work during seasons. But then, I think you can't rely on it when the season is out.

[BaNZ]

I tried to save my friend and nearly drowned. It was his first day surfing longboard. He borrowed my board and got stuck in a rip. He screamed and wave for help so I quickly jump into the water to swim towards him. He decided to paddle away from me and I got myself stuck in a whirlpool without a board.

[Big H]

I tried to save my friend and nearly drowned. It was his first day surfing longboard. He borrowed my board and got stuck in a rip. He screamed and wave for help so I quickly jump into the water to swim towards him. He decided to paddle away from me and I got myself stuck in a whirlpool without a board.

BanZ....I don't know whether to laugh or cry.....

[oldmansurfer]

I took lifesaving back when I was in the boyscouts. Where I live surfers often are the one to make rescues, they even rescue the rescuers who get into trouble like BaNZ. I have rescued a few people but none recently. I was surfing recently and talking to some surfers on the beach after and they said they were watching this one guy having trouble in the surf. He was in a current and not making progress. They told me he looked like he was getting tired and I should go save him since I was wet anyway (they volunteered me). By the time I got there he had managed to put his feet down and walk in a ways so he didn't need saving.