Rescue
‘Floating was the difference between life and death’
After being dragged out to sea by a flash rip current, Katie and Will thought they were going to drown. But Katie suddenly remembered a Float to Live poster she’d seen at a bus shelter, she helped save their lives.
Dragged out to sea by a rip current
Late one afternoon in June 2022, Katie and Will were enjoying the sea at Borth Beach. ‘It was my last weekend at university, and the weather was nice,’ says Katie. ‘We came down for a swim. We’d done the same thing the day before, so we thought it’d be a similar experience. But we were wrong.’
This time, the waves were much choppier - but Borth Beach is lifeguarded, and Katie and Will were careful to stay between the red and yellow flags. ‘It was great fun jumping over the waves,’ Katie recalls. ‘We were about waist deep in the water, so we could still touch the bottom.’
‘Then we saw a particularly large wave coming toward us,’ adds Will. ‘Suddenly, we started being dragged towards it. At first, we tried to outrun it. But we quickly realised that would be impossible.’
Katie and Will were helpless as the wave came towards them. And when they emerged on the other side of it, they realised they had been pulled far away from the shore. Will tried to touch the floor with his feet, but he couldn’t. Fear set in. They swam as hard as they could towards the beach, but the current was too strong.
Fighting to exhaustion in the waves
Trapped in the flash rip current and surrounded by powerful waves, Katie and Will quickly became exhausted. They shouted desperately to the lifeguards as they fought to keep their heads above the water. Hearing their cries, RNLI Lifeguards James Cowan and Jack Rees began making their way towards Katie and Will with a rescue board and rescue tube. But the strong currents made it difficult. ‘I could see the lifeguards were struggling to reach us,’ says Will. ‘That’s when I thought, “we might not make it.”’
‘The waves were pushing me down,’ Katie says. ‘With every wave, it was longer before I could find the strength to come back to the surface again.’
What's a rip current?
Rips are strong currents running out to sea, which can quickly drag people and debris away from the shallows of the shoreline and out to deeper water.
They can be tricky to spot but sometimes look like a channel of calm, darker water between breaking waves.
Rip currents are dangerous because they can quickly pull you out of your depth - even the most experienced beachgoers can be caught out by rips. They tend to flow at 1–2mph but can reach 4–5mph, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer.
What should you do if you get caught in a rip current?
If you do get caught in a rip, don’t panic:
- Don’t try to swim against it or you’ll get exhausted.
- If you can stand, wade don’t swim.
- If you can, swim parallel to the shore until free of the rip and then head for shore.
- Always raise your hand and shout for help.
The Float to Live memory that saved them
In that terrifying moment, the image of a Float to Live poster suddenly came to Katie’s mind. ‘I’d seen the poster on a bus shelter near Borth Lifeboat Station. The image flashed into my head. I knew what we needed to do.’
Katie shouted to Will, telling him to float. Then, rather than using up the last of their energy treading water, they both started floating. ‘It gave me relief,’ says Will. ‘The waves were crashing over us every five seconds or so, but floating meant I could rest in-between them.’
Katie dipped under the water as the lifeguards arrived. Will helped her grab onto James’ rescue board. Jack put his rescue tube around Will. The lifeguards brought them safely back to the beach. ‘We wouldn’t be here without those lifeguards,’ says Katie. ‘They reached us just in time. But I don’t think I’d have lasted as long as I did without floating.
‘Whoever put that Float to Live sign there is a hero.’
How floating helped them survive
Watch as Katie and Will return to Borth Beach to tell their story, and Water Safety Manager Tirian Dowsett tells us more about floating. Plus you can discover how to practise and use the Float to Live skill.Learn the Float to Live technique
Over 50 people – just like Katie and Will – have told us Float to Live helped save their lives. So, if you find yourself in difficulty in the water, Float to Live.
The best way to float is to tilt your head back with your ears submerged. Try to relax and breathe normally. You can gently move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat if you need to. Spread your arms and legs out to improve stability – and it's OK if your legs sink, we all float differently.
Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety. Practise floating in a supervised location like a swimming pool.
Float to Live
Float by following these 5 simple steps – it could save your life.
Rip currents
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