Years ago I was walking towards a step ladder in a pool wanting to climb out when I saw a stationary child hanging in a vertical position in the water. It was an open public swimming session and I was there with my children to play in the water.There was simply something wrong with the image that was before me. I cannot put my finger on exactly what it was but I elected to act and lifted the child up from under the arms into the air. As their face broke the surface of the water they burst into a life giving gasp and thanked me profusely. They had wanted to get into the pool as soon as possible and had run away from their family to jump in with no thought for the depth of the water. The child's family came up as I was talking to them and expressed their deep gratitude in a few short moments. They all walked away and I thanked myself for following my instincts when I had risked a torrent of affront if I had been wrong.
The remarkable thing about the whole experience was the rapidity of it and the silence with which it started and left me contemplating it. Someone was going to drown sadly right under the chair of a lifeguard who did not know anything about the whole event because there was a staff change-over as the grateful family talked to me and then whisked the child away. I did not blame the lifeguards. I felt RELIEF I was there to back them up unseen and that I had fulfilled a duty to my fellow man. Lifeguards carry such weight on their shoulders and they enable us to enjoy the water. They deserve great respect and I actively encourage everyone around me to do the same. They are our stalwarts.
The experience has never left me and I hope it never left the child or their family but I also hope that they turned it into a positive reason to ensure a resilient swimmer developed and did not end up avoiding water altogether. So whenever there is a chance to prevent accidents in water I speak up and spread the word. As humans we should all aspire to fulfill such duties and be shown how best to help SAFELY.
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