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Floating saved my life

Meet the people who helped save themselves from danger by remembering 'Float to Live'

These are survival stories of real people who got into difficulty through no fault of their own. Thanks to 'Float to Live', they knew how to stay calm and keep themselves alive, able to wait for RNLI lifesavers to arrive and save them or to self-rescue.

Please share their stories with your friends and family. Sharing these experiences will help the people you love learn how to float and keep themselves safe if they find themselves in trouble too.

Together, we can save more lives.

Survivor stories

Euan Gray
Euan Gray
'It was like trying to swim on a treadmill'
Euan's story
Katie Laurie and Will Peckham pose for a photo together on a bright sunny day
Katie Laurie and Will Peckham
'I was running out of energy to tread water – I was racking my brain for ways not to die, then I remembered I’d seen a sign with the float to live advice.'
Katie and Will's story
Photo of Ravi, smiling on a boat
Ravi Saini
‘I was getting pulled out to sea. I thought this was the end of my life!’
Ravi's story
Photo of Evan Chrisp, who learned to float and it saved his life
Evan Chrisp
‘Two big waves just came over us. I was panicking, trying to fight the water and swim.’ 
Evan's story
Close up photo of Agnieszka Kwiecien
Aggie Kwiecien
‘A calm voice in my head said: “OK, you’ve fallen into the canal. You know what to do, you mustn't panic.’
Aggie's Story
Tina West, who remembered to Float to Live when she got into difficulty in the sea in Cornwall, is smiling at the camera with a harbour behind her on a sunny day.
Tina West
‘I went for a paddle in the sunshine and when I went to put my feet down there was nothing there.’
Tina's story
Photo of Ruth Osborne, who floated to live thanks to the Respect the Water campaign
Ruth Osborne
‘I shouted and shouted, but nobody heard me. I just thought: “That’s it, that’s me gone.”’
Ruth's story