Son warns of sea risks after father drowns trying to rescue dog
'I never saw my father again'
Robbie, who has been giving lessons in schools across Sussex and Hampshire, said not enough people knew how to stay safe while swimming.He added that his dad Gareth Jones, who drowned after trying to rescue their cockapoo Connie from the sea in Hove, might not have died if he had known some survival techniques. "In an ideal world, he would have never entered the water in the first place," Robbie said. "Don't go in after your family pet. That's one of the no-nos."
He said that, rather than floating to live, his father panicked. "The whole thing was only 52 seconds and then I never saw my father again," Robbie said, adding that he had seen CCTV footage of what happened."It shows how quickly this can happen if you don't take precautions and safety measures," he said. Their dog Connie was found dead on Brighton Beach on 18 January, while the body of father-of-three Gareth's body was found at Tide Mills, near Newhaven, the following day.
When asked if his father would be proud of him, Robbie said: "That's not why I'm doing it."[I want to] turn my grief, which is obviously still very much there, into something worthwhile and [to create] some sort of legacy for my dad."Gabbi Batchelor, water safety education manager for the RNLI, warned there were "hidden dangers" in the sea, like cold shock, rip currents and sudden drops."Floating is a simple, proven method for surviving if you find yourself unexpectedly in the water," she said.
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