A modest Mark Collins comments, "What we did really, really was nothing. Half of Knysna is filled with paddlers, surfers, sailors and NSRI guys and girls who could have and would have been able to help. This guy was just lucky we kept an eye on him and decided to do something in time to make a difference. He had no more than a minute left when my brother got to him."
The Collins brothers were enjoying a day at the beach where, earlier that day they had noticed a group of kids being pulled out of a rip-tide. Alerted to the current, they kept an eye on it and, just as they were leaving, noticed that some adults were also struggling against it.
"We considered going out there to tell them not to panic and not to try to swim against the current, but felt a bit stupid. As we watched, though, two got swept right in and then got separated. This is when John got his ski and paddled out to the one guy who was obviously in real trouble - the problem with people who are this exhausted is that they cannot lift their arms to wave and alert others. If nobody is watching them, they can go under without anyone even seeing what has just happened. Even if you are fit, one minute of panicked swimming against a rip-current can drain you of all energy."
Mark saw that his brother couldn't do anything other than provide the struggling man with floatation.
"I realised I had to go help and quickly hijacked a Synergy (a much bigger boat) from someone - people were just going into the water with it when I asked if I could borrow it for an emergency. All in all it took us about ten minutes to get the guy to safety," recalls Mark.
The exhausted man's only concern was for his teenage daughter who had apparently also been swept out by the same current, but had somehow managed to get out.
"She was standing there in tears, but once her father saw that she was okay, he just collapsed and two doctors from George and a member of the NSRI assisted the man until ER24 could take over," explains Mark.
The Collins brothers feel that anyone living on the coast should educate themselves about rip-currents.
"These currents are not malicious and are a normal coastal phenomenon wherever there are waves. Surfers often use them as a free ride to back-line. They can be very scary, though, if you do not have the bigger picture and are unfathomably being swept out to sea. The worst thing you can do is to try to swim against a rip as it will exhaust the average person within minutes. People in trouble in the water don't raise their arms and splash like they do in the movies. Raising your arms will cause you to sink. It can be difficult to spot a swimmer in trouble."
According to EMCL coordinator for ER24, Vanessa Jackson, their information regarding the incident indicates that a teenager had been caught in difficulty in the surf and that a 54-year-old man went in to assist him.
"He was then helped out by two bystanders (Mark and John Collins), but he had only swallowed some water and was feeling dizzy and was treated on scene by a GP from George. They gave him some fluids while paramedics assessed him and then he said he felt a lot better and decided he would go to hospital at a later stage if he needed to. The teenager was reported to also be fine."
Jackson says that if a person who had almost drowned is brought ashore unconscious and without a pulse or breathing, "...the ER24 Contact Centre staff will be able to talk you through CPR until paramedics arrive. Always ensure that their necks and backs are kept still as they may have suffered a neck or back injury. If they are vomiting , they will need to be turned on their side for secretions to flow out of their mouths; this is very important because if they are kept on their backs they may choke or aspirate fluid into their lungs. When turning a patient, again ensure that their backs and necks are kept in line, with no movement."
The ER24 Contact Centre has staff available 24/7 to give advice in a medical emergency, and they will talk bystanders through the necessary steps to follow. For all emergencies, call ER24's Control Centre on 084 124.
(Mark and John Collins made a name from themselves as athletes and sport game inventors and did South Africa proud last year when their new sporting concept, 360Ball was the overall winner of the prestigious Brand New Award in Munich, Germany.)
C1] In their effort to get an exhausted father out of danger, the Collins brothers battle the rip-current, which can look decievingly easy to do. (Photo: Sheila Cooper.)
ARTICLE: ANOESCHKA VON MECK, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
