Family swept out to sea at Scots beach rescued by quick-thinking couple
A couple jumped into action to help rescue a family who were swept out to sea at a Scots beach.
Sean Bowman, 46, was at Tyninghame Beach in East Lothian with his partner and their three children on May 24, when he spotted a 12-year-old girl in difficulty in the water around 60 metres from the shore.
Her mum and dad had swam out to attempt to save her, but were caught in a dangerous rip current.
Sean, who lives in Dunbar, said: "The girl started screaming really loudly and I could see she was now quite far out, about 60 metres. The mum and dad ran down and said they weren't good swimmers.
"That's when I swam to get the girl. I could feel the pull of the rip but back home in South Africa we are taught to swim left or right, not straight out, so I swam in a diagonal to reach her. The mum swam as well but she got caught.'"
Sean jumped in while his partner Emma Picken, 38, called emergency services and was alerted to a nearby surfer, who helped Sean get the family to safety.
Emma said: "Sean thought he could help the girl more so pulled her back out of the water and shouted for me to call the coastguard. At that point the dad went in to try and get the mum. They were now drifting out in the rip tide."
Sean added: "I grabbed the girl by the arms and put her up on my shoulders and we just swam back and I dropped her off. I went back in but by that stage they were right by the back breakers about 150 metres out."
Coastguard responders called for an RNLI lifeboat from Dunbar, and alerted the police and ambulance service.
Sean tried to take a body board to help the couple stay afloat. He said: "I swam out as far as I could and shouted to them to try and catch the board but the tide caught it and sent it into the rocks.
"I stayed in the water but not too deep to make sure they were ok. They were now so far out it was hard to see them.
"We could just see their heads bobbing up and down. I have never seen waves that big since coming to Dunbar."
When the surfer joined in the rescue efforts, he assisted him in locating the family. He added: "He couldn't see them at first. I had to point him in the right direction but he managed to reach them.
"The woman did well to keep the man afloat, as I think he was struggling, and she and the surfer managed to get him on the board. They got to shore as the coastguard and lifeboat arrived, then the helicopter and the ambulance came."
The family were assisted by the volunteer lifeboat crew before being passed into the care of emergency responders. The man was airlifted to hospital, and the woman and girl were treated by paramedics, with all three making a full recovery.
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The couple said people need to be more aware of the risks involved with swimming on beaches without lifeguards.
Emma said: "There is a sign at the car park but it is easy to miss. I feel there needs to be more at the beach. At least this was at the weekend when there were people there.
"If that had been a week day when it is quieter there might not have been anybody there to save them. I couldn't even hear the girl screaming because it was so windy but Sean did."
Sean added: "I don't think people should swim there, if there's a constant rip tide. If you're not a strong swimmer it will just pull you."
Ray Cunningham, RNLI Water Safety Education Manager, said: "Rip Currents are an incredibly dangerous occurrence that can catch out even the most experienced water user and they can pop up all across the UK.
"You can sometimes spot a rip by seeing where water may be a little calmer where waves are or by spotting the water rushing out in a narrow channel. We would recommend checking out a lifeguarded beach if you can and swim between the flags when you enter the water as this is the safest place to swim.
"If you find yourself caught in a rip the first thing to remember is don't panic, remember the RNLI's FLOAT message to keep your head above water. If on a lifeguarded beach you can raise your arms and try to call for help.
"Once you have caught your breath, you can swim parallel to the shore (sideways) which should allow you to escape the outward pull of the rip current as they are generally quite narrow. Once you are out of the rip you can then make your way back to shore.
"If you see someone caught in a rip, we don't recommend going in to rescue them, you are putting yourself at risk. Instead dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard and tell them where you are, how many people are in trouble and the situation."
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