I am no hero nor am I a bragger, boaster or social climber. I could care less about my "status" or what most people's perception of me is. I am choosing to write about this event because it made me reflect on philosophical, universal, even religious questions we all struggle with. It has been haunting me to think about how sometimes timing, split decision making, and even instinct can all come together so peculiarly perfect.
That all being said I did rescue this boy from drowning. I just did it, and I think anyone in the same situation would do the same. I sure hope you would for my kid! Here's how it happened:
We had driven to Longport early to spend the day and I went out surfing for an hour or so. After, we played on the beach with my daughter building castles and sand pools by the ocean. A picture perfect warm June day of offshore winds, waves, and sand. By noon we were hot, hungry and tired. We headed to Dino's for giant hoagies, and of course the tuna did not disappoint! My wife got a call about meeting up with some friends on the beach in Margate. And after lunch we did. Between the hoagie, the sun, the surf I was beat. As the kids ran and played on the beach I sunk facedown into a towel for one of those amazingly lazy 20 minute deep, beach naps.
I woke up groggy, sweaty and covered in sticky sand. I decided I better take a quick swim to wake up and clean myself off. I figured without my wet suit on, 30 seconds in the still chilly 65 degree Atlantic would do the trick. The lifeguard stands and swimming areas are 3 blocks apart in this area and time of year. We were sitting directly a block and a half from each. I don't know why I chose to walk towards the Southern stand, but I did. I walked alone along the edge of the ocean where very few people were. Between the tide, sun's direction and temp of the ocean people were sitting farther back on the warm dry sandy part of the beach. About a block or so from the lifeguard stand I notice this boy of about 9 years old all alone in the ocean. He was bobbing around and moving his arms like he was swimming. At first glance it might look like he was just jumping waves or having a good time, but I knew something wasn't right. From surfing and being in the ocean quite a bit during all different conditions, I knew he was out way too far and even though he was silent and peaceful looking I could tell he was in trouble. I scanned the beach for his parent/ guardian figure. The closest person I could find was a very large, older man. I assumed the kid was his grandson or nephew. He was listening to an ipod with ear phones in and obviously not paying any attention to the status of this kid in his care. I pointed to the kid in the ocean, pointed to the man, and said, "Hey, is he OK out there?" I knew he wasn't but somehow I hoped he was. I was praying this boy was going to wash back in with the next wave and everything would be fine. The man just kind of shrugged me off and took a longer look at the kid. The boy sees us and yells, "Help" a couple of times. A wave brakes on him and he goes under for a second or two. He pops back up and by this time he is struggling. I say to the old man, "I got to get him!" He says back to me as I start running into the ocean, "Yeah, would you" not as a pleading question but as a command! I swim out to the boy who by now is a good long way from shore, I hear people calling for the lifeguard who are stationed a block up the beach. I swim to the boy, I grab his arm tight and pull him next to me. I start to swim side stroke toward the beach. I am swimming as hard as I can with this kid attached to me for a good half a minute, and realize there is a rip current sucking us out toward the break of the outside waves. The same waves I had been loving and surfing just a few hours before, now I'm not loving so much. I begin to tread water holding the kid to my side thinking of what my next move is. I think about swimming sideways, like we all have been told to do in a rip, but that won't really help in this situation. All the wind, tide, current is pushing out. I will just waste more energy and time. I start to think that I may need to be rescued as well and to just hold the kid above water. I get an idea, toss the boy forward and take a giant under water breast stroke to him, it might just work. I grab him and throw him as far as I can forward, like you would toss a kid in a swimming pool. He gets about 2 feet or so. I dive down take a huge stroke and come up next to him. I do it again, we are making small progress. I can see a very young looking lifeguard now wading into the water. He has no floats, or anything and isn't really hurrying. I don't think he had any idea about what was going on a block down from his stand. I yell, "there's a rip!" a couple of times. I guess he sees that my method is working and stops in about chest high water. I toss the boy forward a few more times and swim to him, I finally feel the bottom of the ocean and bob down to touch the sand. Now I can bob up and down, swim and pull the kid forward. I pull his arm to meet the lifeguard's hand, we drag this boy in. Thankfully he didn't swallow much or any water and is in good shape, but shaken up. He runs up the beach where a crowd has gathered. He jumps into the arms of a family member who hugs him tight. I just simply walk out of the ocean, exhausted, and start back to where we are set up about 3/4 of a block North.
As I am walking people are coming up to me asking me questions about what just happened and basically thanking me, things like that. I get back to where my wife and friends are still sitting in the sun and all our kids are safely playing on the beach. My wife sees me, says " Who were those people talking to you? Do you know them?" "Les" I say, "did you not just see what happened?" "No" she says, "everything OK?" "Yeah" I say,"everything is OK".
