Evan survived a rip current
‘Two big waves just came over us. I was panicking, trying to fight the water and swim.’ Evan had seen the advice from our Respect the Water campaign on how to survive a situation like this. But during a trip to the beach with his friends, he couldn’t have known he would need to put it into action.
Evan and his friends had just finished their exams. In need of a break, they decided to come to the water and blow off some steam.
The waves were too choppy to take out their kayak – so they went for a swim to make the most of the big surf. But under the surface, currents can be deceptive.
A huge wave rose over the group. By the time Evan’s friends had jumped through it to the other side, Evan hadn’t been able to take the first step. He was left behind, caught in a rip current.
Watching from the shore, and realising Evan couldn’t get out, his dad made an emergency call to the Coastguard for assistance.
Thankfully, Evan had seen the Float to Live video and knew he had to stay calm and float. A nearby surfer helped keep him alert until the RNLI arrived on scene. They brought him back to safety at the shore, where Evan made a full recovery.
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