A Jersey Shore surfer who survived a fall from a 20-foot wave in a wipeout that went viral in December took the life of another man who was struggling to swim in the same body of water last week. helped.
Brendan Tye — formerly His deadly free fall made headlines. He was caught on video surfing the waves off the coast of Bellmawr last Monday when he heard someone screaming.
When he turned around, he saw a man struggling to swim in the 50-degree water and approached him with a paddle, the rescue footage shows.
“Today, three minutes into a session, [beach] I’ve never surfed before, but I heard someone screaming for help quite a distance away.”Thailand he wrote in an April 29 Instagram post. The aim is to spread awareness about rescue techniques.
“I paddled 200 yards over and over again from the pier where I was surfing to an almost unconscious hypothermic man floating on his back,” he said. “He was floating in the ocean without a wetsuit and without swimming.”
Ty, 33, said he used his surfboard to avoid being pushed into the water, as swimmers in distress often unintentionally drag rescuers into the water in an adrenaline-filled panic. She explained how she was forced into the man’s arms.
As the surfer pulled him towards shore, the man clung on before being caught in the same rapids that had dragged him in the first place, Tai wrote.
He wrote that he told the struggling swimmer to hold on to the board as he swam around him, then pushed him the rest of the way to the beach.
Paramedics, police and coast guard personnel met the pair on the shore and took over the rescue efforts from there.
The man was evaluated by doctors and is expected to be OK, but Tai warned that it could have ended differently.
“I can confidently say that if I hadn’t been there, the story would have been very different,” Tai said. told News 12.
Lifeguards also warned of the danger.
“You’re at the beach, it’s 85 degrees, it’s hot. You’re automatically drawn to the water. The water is cold and your body is hot. The water is cold and you’re susceptible to hypothermia,” Belmar said. Chief Lifeguard Harry Harsin told a local New Jersey news station.
Just a few blocks south of Belmar, a 23-year-old Belleville man drowned off St. Clair Avenue Beach in Spring Lake, police said. No lifeguards were on duty at the time.
Authorities have warned beachgoers not to go into the water during the pre-season, when lifeguards are not available and conditions can quickly become dangerous.
Ty, who is a trained lifeguard and CPR certified, urged fellow surfers to be on the lookout for struggling swimmers.
“Surfers, it may not be our responsibility to be lifeguards, but by having the skills and being in the right place at the right time, we can save someone’s life.” he wrote on Instagram.
He also warned swimmers to be aware of their abilities and limitations.
“Be careful. Know your limits. It’s not a good idea to swim in the ocean if you can’t swim well in a pool,” he told News 12. “Be careful. It’s a huge body of water that people take for granted.”
