Look out for each other

Learn first aid and look out for each other.

This morning I helped someone from certain death.

The surf was big, too big for people who didn't know what they were doing. I was right out the back, about 100 meters, maybe more.

Our beach is empty, not many people around both in and out of the water... But this person caught my eye walking on the beach with her dog. I kept wanting to check on her something didn't feel right...

In between waves I kept checking her, from what I could see so far away.

Then all I could see was the dog. Weird. It's too dangerous to be swimming. Where is she.
I decided not to wait for a wave, instead abandon the surf and start padding in.

Nothing really obvious, just I could not see anyone around on the beach and the dog was alone.

When I got in... up on the sand I saw people gathering.. bending over, ok, maybe it's a turtle people are helping and that why I couldn't see her anymore...

Nope, it was the lady in the recovery position.

Luckily someone turned around at the instant she fell weirdly into the water and didn't come up and ran up the beach and pulled her twitching and frothing at the mouth out of the water. (We suspect that she had an epileptic fit, or knocked unconscious by the waves)

The chances of someone seeing her in such a quiet beach is very low. 30 more seconds she would have drowned.

When I got to them they had just got her into a recovery position. Was breathing and had a pulse. Not responding at all.

Basically looked asleep. Not healthy, not responding, but looked alive.

We picked her up and moved her further up the beach because the tide was coming in and the shories were strong... We used my surfboard to create the shade.

We found another walker with a phone and called the ambulance.

Next thing another person walking her dogs was an off duty paramedic who started helping.

Fast forward... 30 mins later she opened her eyes, another 30 mins later she was able to stumble off into the back of the ambulance to hospital. Still not talking, just a whisper. I expect she will be ok...

Someone was looking after her this morning... - Something told me to go in and check in her
- The couple who happened to turn around at the exact right time and pulled her out of the water
- The next person to walk past was an off duty lifesaver
- The next person was an off duty paramedic

No one else walked by. Everything she needed came to her at the exact time to help her.

She would not have lived if those people did not pull her out. And the right people come along...

She was in her early 30's. Tall and healthy looking. Her day could have ended completely differently.

If she wasn't seen in that split second she would have sunk. Simply missing and people would have no idea what happened to her. Just her dog on the beach... Sadly in 2 days time her body would have washed up on a tourist beach about 20km South...

I hope if I, or anyone close to me ever needs help, the people around me can help. First aid should almost be compulsory knowledge for everyone 

So glad she had the universe deliver her everything she needed to save her life.