Praise for Portstewart man involved in sea rescue
A County Londonderry surfer has described how he was involved in the rescue of a woman from the sea near Portstewart.
Daniel McAleese, 30, was out walking on Wednesday evening when two women swimming close to rocks got into difficulty.
One was screaming that she had not seen her friend in over a minute, Mr McAleese said.
After some time he said he spotted her, face down, and he jumped in and managed to pull her to safety.
The incident unfolded at about 19:30 BST when Mr McAleese heard shouting and "climbed down the cliff face to where one of the women had been washed up on to a rock ledge".
He could see that she was bleeding.
Swimmer 'obviously in distress'
"She was obviously in a lot of distress as she had not seen her friend in over a minute," he said.
"Myself and the girl tried to locate a head bobbing up somewhere.
"I was incredibly concerned."
Mr McAleese said that "eventually I saw a tuft of hair pop up and jumped in there".
"I managed to get a hold of the girl and get her face and mouth above the surface; at that point she wasn’t responsive but after about 20 seconds she regained consciousness."
He said that a "few bystanders came down to help me out, as eventually I was close enough to the end of the cliff that they could throw a life buoy at it".
"We gradually got her on to a level area to pull her in from," he added.
He said the woman had cuts from being banged against the rocks.
"When something like this happens, you don’t have a huge amount of time to reflect on it, you’re just trying to stay as practical as you can possibly be," he added, admitting that he was "certainly a little bit shaken afterwards".
Surfing knowledge helped
When asked if his surfing knowledge helped in the situation he was faced with, Mr McAleese replied "without a doubt".
"Myself and my friends know every rock and current," he said.
"It was a scenario where the right person was there at the right time."
Police said they received a report of two young females who found themselves in difficulty in sea water near Portstewart Strand.
"On arrival of local officers, both women had been taken out of the water by a man who assisted their safe recovery to shore," a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson added.
"Our partner agencies also attended to ensure a successful rescue of both individuals."
A bystander who contacted BBC News NI said they had "never seen such bravery".
"Once the situation was resolved, Daniel was quite shaken, but until everyone was safe he acted with such clarity and decisiveness," they said.
Coleraine Coastguard Rescue Team said that a team went to the scene after reports of people in difficulty, swimming off rocks at Portstewart Strand.
"Passers by had called the Coastguard and then used council provided throwlines and floats to reach two swimmers. One person entered the water to assist the swimmers ashore," the coastguard said.
By then, coastguards and police were on scene.
They medically assessed the swimmers who had suffered minor injuries from the rocks and did not require hospital treatment.
Medical and safety advice was given.
"The quick thinking and brave actions of members of the public undoubtedly helped in the saving of two lives," the coastguard added.
Safe sea swimming advice
Lifeboat trainer and coxswain at Portrush RNLI Mark Mitchell praised the actions of Mr McAleese.
He said people can get into difficulty quickly.
“That particular location is very dangerous for a number of reasons,” he told BBC Radio Foyle.
“One is rip currents and the other is water temperature," he said.
“When you’re in the water you cool down very quickly, you can suffer from hypothermia after about half an hour.
“If you go into the water very unexpectedly you can also develop something called cold water shock.
“It causes your breathing rate to go up and that’s when someone is more likely to start taking water into the lungs and even actually sinking.”
He said if you find yourself struggling in the water to try and lie back “like a starfish”, ensuring your head is above the water and you remain calm for breathing control.
If you see anyone in danger along the coast, dial 999 Coastguard.
