Swimmer hails emergency services after false alarm
Man thanks teams who leapt into action following call
A man whose early morning dip in the Forth prompted a major alert has thanked the emergency services.
A police helicopter and specialist firefighters in boats searched the river near the Old Bridge last Wednesday morning after a concerned passer-by reported seeing a man jumping in the river at around 8am.
Ambulances also stood by on the bank and a crowd gathered on the bridge to watch as the search continued for about an hour.
However, it was quickly confirmed that the incident was a “false alarm with good intent” after police managed to trace the man who was out for a swim.
On Monday, ‘The Swimmer’ contacted the Observer having seen coverage of the incident in Friday’s paper.
He asked not to be identified but told how the emergency services personnel were in “disbelief ” when they learned he had been swimming in the river.
“They were just really happy that no-one was at risk, and that they could call off the search after an hour,” he added.
“They said that if I hadn’t come forward they could have had to spend a few days down there searching. So I think they were glad they did not have to spend that time in amongst the Irn Bru bottles.”
And the swimmer – who lives near the river – said he contacted police after his wife spotted the emergency services in the area .
He added: “My wife was travelling to work. She saw lots of police and the helicopter and stopped at Bayne’s, near the Old Bridge, and had a chat with police, telling them that I had been out swimming.
“I was out of the river and was at home by this time but after my wife contacted me to tell me what was going on, I headed up to the bridge to speak to police.
“I was very relieved to hear that there hadn’t been any other incidents in the time that they were there.”
The man said he had been a keen open-swimmer for many years, and although he usually swims in Loch Venachar and in the Trossachs, had swam in the Forth earlier this year.
He said: “I was just back from working away, but before I went away I was in about five times a week.
“It is really good fun, but it’s not somewhere where I would recommend just jumping straight in. The water is dangerous and can be fast. There are lots of good waterways in the The Trossachs to try swimming.” The man added that he was undecided if he would swim in the Forth again.