Hero’s welcome
Beachgoers heap praise on brothers after choppy water rescue of three people in peril
Daniel Anctil never could have anticipated the standing ovation he received on the beach along the north shore of P.E.I. last week. But he and his brother did not show up intending to be lifesavers. It just turned out that way. Daniel, 37, of Trois-Rivieres and his brother, Alexander, 36, of Quebec City, took to the beach July 25 while camping at Twin Shores Campground Area in Darnley. He was sitting on the beach while Alexander was building a sandcastle with his son. Alexander sized up as imminent trouble the sight of two children on one air mattress and one unoccupied mattress floating away from shore with one woman on another air mattress appearing to be in pursuit. The water was choppy with winds of 35 km/hour and gusts of 50 km/hour making the situation appear even more perilous. When Daniel saw Alexander go into the water and start swimming towards the children - two girls believed to be about six and 10 years old - he joined the rescue attempt. Daniel estimates his brother got to the two girls about 150 to 200 metres from shore. He pulled them to the safety of a sandbar, before eventually getting them to shore. Daniel came to the aid of the woman, who turned out to be babysitting the girls. The babysitter told Daniel that neither she nor the girls were strong swimmers. He pulled her to safety. The reception on shore took Daniel and Alexander by surprise. “Everyone on the beach were clapping their hands,’’ he says. “I didn’t know what to say. I just kind of stared at the ground.’’ Daniel felt like he was in a movie, People came up to shake the hands of the brothers, who were immediately hailed as heroes. One person even offered a beer for the selfless – and quite possibly life-saving – action taken by the Anctils. “I couldn’t believe the reaction of the people,’’ says Daniel, who was left feeling humbled by the whole experience. “It feels good, right? I don’t know what to say more than that. It feels good.’’ Daniel and his brother are no strangers to the water. The pair swam competitively for about 10 years. That, however, was several years ago. “I don’t train in swimming anymore,’’ says Daniel. “I was winded. It was kind of exhausting.’’ Steve Ashford, a tourist visiting P.E.I., was one of the beachgoers who witnessed the rescue. He wrote a post lauding the brothers’ quick and successful response coming to the aid of three people who were facing increasingly grave danger. “Hundreds watched and applauded these amazing men as they wearily walked back on to the beach,’’ Ashford posted. “It’s good for all of us to know there are people like these men who stepped up in the face of danger when needed.’’ The more than 6,000 comments on the post lauding the heroics of the brothers struck a heartfelt cord with Daniel. “It’s touching and it’s overwhelming,’’ he says.