An experienced sea swimmer who got in to trouble off Scarborough last month has thanked the RNLI volunteers who rescued him.
Michael Whiteley is an experienced dipper, going into the sea three to four times a week with friends. He was taking a routine winter dip off the coast of Scarborough on January 8th, when he was caught out by strong currents which dragged him out of his depth.
His swimming partner managed to get back to shore and raise the alarm.
Michael says conditions on the day didn't seem challenging at first but says that quickly changed.
Michael says without the RNLI and the thousand of people who donate to it, he would have struggled to survive.
Michael says he was in the water for 30 minutes and didn't think he was going to make it.
Scarborough RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain, Lee Martin, says it was a challenging rescue.
Lee thinks that with low sea temperatures on the day they only just found Michael in time.
Michael was in the water with his swimming partner, Adam, Michael said:
"My friend is a little younger and fitter than me and managed to get ashore, although he said he felt like he’d done a marathon swimming against the tide. I tried to swim too – but it was just too strong.
I was confident my friend would call for help – which thankfully he did – and hoped the RNLI would soon rescue me. I had attended a couple of cold water advice safety sessions run by the RNLI and I remembered not to exhaust myself, so I went into a starfish shape and floated on my back."
Lee Martin says cold water swimming with a partner or in a group is a key safety measure.
Nick Ayers, RNLI Regional Water Safety Lead said:
‘Michael attended one of our cold water swimming safety talks held at Scarborough Lifeboat Station last October along with other keen swimmers. The outcome from this incident proves that floating on your back whilst in difficulty saved his life that day and that it can happen to experienced cold water swimmers like Michael. No one plans to get into trouble in the water, and we want everyone to enjoy the water and be safe.
‘Our advice is to always swim with others, be aware of the tides and changing currents and have a means of calling for help.
‘If you find yourself in difficulty in the water, float on your back, ears submerged and try to relax and breathe normally, gently moving your hands to stay afloat if you need to.
Michael added:
‘In hospital it took another 4–5 hours to bring my body temperature back up to normal so I was very lucky. I’ve not ventured back into the sea yet, but I’m so thankful to the RNLI volunteers who saved me that day.’
RNLI swimming advice:
- Check weather and tides.
- If in doubt, stay out.
- Acclimatise slowly to avoid cold water shock.
- Be seen. Wear a bright coloured swim hat and take a tow float.
- Stay within your depth.
- Float to Live.
- Have a means of calling for help. Call 999 or 112 and ask the coastguard in an emergency.
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