Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Mum’s thanks to heroes who saved her from sea
Bodyboarder feared dying as son watched
A MUM who feared she would drown in front of her 12-year-old son after getting caught in a rip current has been reunited with RNLI lifeguards who saved her life in a mass rescue.
Amanda Humble, 51, was bodyboarding with friend Donna last month when she was suddenly dragged out to sea with seven other people.
The holidaymaker recalled: “Every time a wave dumped down on us I thought we were going to die.”
Luckily four RNLI men stationed on the Cornish beach spotted the swimmers and realised they had been caught by a freak current.
The men raced into the rough sea on three rescue crafts to pluck them to safety. And they said Amanda’s decision to keep a firm grip on her bodyboard saved her life. Amanda and son Ellis got to thank her rescuers in a video call.
She said: “I just can’t believe I nearly lost my life and everything changed in a second.
“My son could’ve been going home on his own, leaving the beach without his mum.
“It just doesn’t bear thinking about.
“When we raised our arms and shouted for help, we didn’t know if anyone could see us.
“We couldn’t see the shore and didn’t even know if my son made it. I sobbed when I saw Ellis – and would like to thank the kind lady who was talking to him on the beach.” She said her RNLI rescuers – James Kirton, George Hudson, Harvey Skinner and Charlie Florey – were heroes.
“I just want to say you saved my life and I can never thank you enough,” she told them.
Amanda, of Portchester, Hants, has vowed to return to Perranporth, Cornwall, next summer to buy them all a drink.
George, who was at the helm on the inshore rescue boat, was the first to spot the danger. “As lifeguards, we rotate between positions around the beach and, as I was swapping with someone, I saw a hand go up in the ocean,” he said.
“Charlie and I l aunched the IRB [inshore rescue boat] and made to get there as quickly as possible.”
Charlie said: “When you’ve got eight people waving for help you’ve got to very quickily assess who to get to first.”
All eight swimmers were saved. Amanda and Donna, have now set up a Justgiving page for the RNLI.
And they are trying to raise awareness of the dangers of rips which are strong, narrow currents which move away from shore, like a river running out to sea.
Bathers stuck in one should swim parallel to shore until free of its grip.
My son could have lost his mum on that beach. It just doesn’t bear thinking about AMANDA HUMBLE RECALLING DRAMATIC LIFEBOAT RESCUE