'I just held him close, trying not to get separated': Dad and teenage kids saved from water at Portrush pay tribute to rescuers for International Lifeguard Day
A dad rescued from a rip current with his teenage kids has returned to the scene four years on to pay tribute to the lifeguards who saved his family.
In summer 2022, Andrew Todd and his children Issy and Zack were swimming off Whiterocks Beach in Portrush when they got into serious trouble.
From another popular seaside town, Helen’s Bay in Co Down, the family were well aware of the dangers of open water, Andrew saying he brought his kids up with “an understanding of its power and wonder” as well as “how to use the currents and what to do if they’re ever in a rip”.
That day in Portrush, says the dad, the sea was rough in spots, areas having surf two metres high with powerful waves. Choosing a safe area marked out by RNLI flags on the beach, he reinforced the need for caution and agreed a time to get out of the sea before they headed in to swim.
Towards the end of that allotted time, however, they hit trouble. Andrew suddenly realised they’d got deeper than he felt comfortable being.
“We had slipped past the flags and out of the red and yellow [safe] swim zone,” he stated.
Daughter Issy, then 18, made good progress back to shore, but 13-year-old Zack didn’t have the strength. Andrew stayed with his son, encouraging him on; when Issy realised they weren’t making their way towards the beach and stopped to call back, she was carried towards them by the strong current, losing the progress she’d made.
Lifeguard Ellen Knox spotted the trio starting to drift quickly in a flash rip current that had formed. Grabbing her rescue board, she dashed into the water; as she went, colleagues Adam King and Luke McAvoy – who just minutes earlier had rescued two other swimmers – fired up a watercraft, fighting their way through the rough surf.
Out in the sea, Andrew concentrated on keeping his family calm.
“The first lifeguard was in the water, on her board, paddling it towards Issy,” he remembers. “I was still with Zack. I told him to stop swimming and just held him close, to avoid getting separated and to conserve energy. We were calling to Issy to reassure her all was well, and she stayed calm too.”
The rescue craft pulled up alongside the father and son, carrying them back to shore.
Andrew, who spoke out to mark International Lifeguard Appreciation Day today (31st), says: “After the rescue, I had a chat with Issy and Zack and reassured them that these things happen, and it was no one’s fault. We were all back in the water the next day to make sure there would be no long-lasting anxiousness or worries.
“We are all immensely grateful for the speed and confidence the RNLI lifeguards showed that day.”
Lifeguards patrol 12 beaches in Northern Ireland. Last year they carried out 65,714 preventative actions and rescued 402 people, seven of whom were lives saved.
The RNLI’s lifeguard lead for the province, Michael Thompson, said today recognises the “dedication, professionalism and lifesaving impact” of rescuers.
“Whether they are carrying out a rescue, providing casualty care, reuniting a lost child with their family or giving vital safety advice, our lifeguards make a difference every single day,” he said.