We play in a very dangerous place, off shore and usually away from emergency services. That came home this morning when we swam some poor guy 1/4 mile through head-high+ surf after he had a seizure in the lineup.
If you don’t know CPR, learn.
If you see someone in trouble try to send someone for emergency services before you assist. Every freaking second counts.
If you have a medical condition like diabetes or epilepsy…wear a bracelet or necklace.
Surfing alone is a really bad idea.
I hope the gentleman made it. He was conscious when we started out but was pretty blue when we got to the beach. It was impossible to do proper CPR in the water as there was no support and the guy kept sliding off the board. One guy got a couple of breaths into him but since he had a gotee it didn’t go well.
I think we (and I use that term very loosely…one goofy footer had it together and did a wonderful job) got him started with compressions. It took the first emergency response about 10 minutes to get to the beach. They airlifted him about 20 minutes later (two sets of portable defibs wouldn’t work!!!).
My heart goes out to his family and friends and hope it worked out ok. The goofy footer and a woman who took charge out in the water are real heros.
To emphisize again: If you don’t know CPR, take a class. It could save someone you love, or someone you don’t even know.
And don’t watch how they do it on TV or in the movies, and think it will work. They always do it wrong! The tongue has to be gotten out of the way and the jaw pulled forward to clear the airway. If the heart stops, you can work with someone, or alone, to get air in and pump some blood.
Having this knowledge is like carrying an invaluable tool with you.
I hope for the best, and pray for the surfer you saw in the water. Doug
Howzit LeeV, Very Good advice, did some CPR on a lady who almost drowned at Kealia a few years back. We saved her, but what was really sad was the husband standing there asking his wife to please not die, we should all take a CPR class. Being a diabetic who hates wearing any type of rings, bracelets,even watches, I'm thinking of getting a tatoo that says DIABETIC but not sure where to put it to make sure it's visible,maybe the underside of my wrist where they check your pulse. Aloha,Kokua
Wow good job done, at least if they were defibrillating he he and some kind of rythm to shock, if they were doing compressions he would definatly have less of a chance of making it. Oh yeah if you really want to get a tatoo that says diabetic go for the chest, everyone looks there, unless you have a shirt on, but in a real emergancy it will get cut off anyway.
Commendable effort LeeV and others, I hope the guy made it.
Just a quick reality check…A very experience paramedic friend of mine, who has been threatened with his life more than once due to not reviving someone, informed me that statistically less than 20% of people who receive revival help actually make it. Baywatch and other glorified medical shows have a lot to answer for in misleading the public on this point.
Try and learn to do it anyway, you could save a life.
Unfortunately, he didn’t make it…I was complaining to my wife about how long it took for the emergency crews to get there but after thinking for while…for where we were, 10-15 minutes was pretty good. I think his fate was sealed during the long swim in. No ID yet but my wishes to the family…
Reminds me of another item…carry some kind of identification with you in the water. Sure would help the family if the authorities could find them in an emergency…
i have never really thought about that but its a great idea. especially if you are surfing by yourself even in a crowd it really is important to have some kind of identifcation. if no one knows which car is yours or where you parked it could be a while before someone misses you and gets in contact with the authortites.
I also had a very unfortunate incident like this recently on the South Coast of Ireland. There was a very overweight (270 lbs I’m 180 lbs) mid 40’s guy swimming i nteh shore break. As it turned out he managed to getting himself caught in a rip and was being pulled out to sea.
I made a decision to get help rather than help this dude by myself. In about 2 mins myself and 3 other surfers had returned to him with a big foamy board but by then he was unconscious. As it turned out he had a heart attack. It took us what seemed like forever to drag him out of the water but we eventually got him to shore and began to give him CPR.
It took me a while to realsie that I ACTUALLY did make the correct decision to go for help. I could have gone to him and ended up in a whole heap of trouble myself. I could have given him my board and ended up battling that rip current. In his panick he could have swarmed all over me when I reached him.
My advice to all of you would be - Think carefully before you rush in. The best help for the victim may be to leave him / her and get assistance. Evaluate the situation. Is there a definite risk that you yourself will not survive. 1 person dying is alot better than 2.
In a growing number of states tradesmen are required to aquire continuing education units yearly to maintain their licenses and at least here in Washington, an 8 hour first aid/CPR course qualifies. A great way to kill two birds with one stone and worth checking into.
Wearing ID is definitely a smart call. I try to wear and ID anklet when I’m surfing, swimming, biking, running… you just never know when something can happen and you can’t assume you’ll be able to answer questions, especially if you catch a fin to the head or something. The one I have is basically a velcro strap with a metal engraved plate on it with my info. I bought it from Road ID (http://www.roadid.com), but I know there’s a bunch of others out there. Hell print your info on rice paper and laminate it to your board, whatever, it’s better than the alternative!
Its true rarely will i see anyone make it, Im always there in the ER to recieve these people in the end. It also depends on the case if its a near drowning I have seen many people survive, if its due to cardiac problems the the end is not so good.