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Exmouth lifeguard saves girl

Jake Butt lifeguard

She's washed off rocks at Sandy Bay

An Exmouth RNLI team member has save the life of a child in difficulty in the sea off Sandy Bay near Exmouth. She was struggling to stay above water after being washed off a rock reef on Monday afternoon.
 
Lifeguard Jake Butt was moving the westerly red and yellow flag at 5.30 pm on Monday while at the water's edge. About half a dozen people were in the water when a girl ran up to him to say her sister was in trouble in the water just beyond the easterly edge of the red and yellow flags.
 
The children had been walking out along the rock reef to the east of the flags when the girl had been washed off the edge of the reef in two-to-three feet choppy surf. She immediately started to panic, ‘climbing the ladder’ to keep her head above the water wherever possible, although she repeatedly disappeared from view below the surface.
 
Having radioed the base, Jake grabbed a rescue board and paddled out to her. Pulling alongside, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back above the surface and onto the rescue board. Once on the board he reassured her and checked she was okay, as well as confirming there was nobody else in difficulty, before paddling in to the beach. Once safely back ashore the lifeguards evaluated her condition to confirm that no further intervention was required. Medical advice regarding delayed onset drowning was given and the girl was taken back into the care of her parents at 5.45pm for ongoing monitoring.
 
Henry Irvine, lead lifeguard supervisor, said: ‘Please remember, if you fall in to water unexpectedly then ‘Float to Live’ by following the RNLI’s advice. Fight your instinct to swim hard or thrash about – this can lead to breathing in water and drowning. Instead, relax and FLOAT on your back, until you have regained control of your breathing.’

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