Missus cycled into the canal once. I fearlessly told her to dive back in and get the bike out or else. This is my most recent act of bravery.

Woman who helped her out of the canal wasn’t happy about the order though.

Spent most of my life until moving to the UK in or around the sea and have had to jump in after an inebriated friend several times so would jump in no problem. Water here is bloody freezing though.

Just asking, i would still yell HELP in moment like this though, best i can do

No, this is the best you can do. If someone else is going in, tell them what you’re doing, otherwise shout. Grab a third party and get them to move 20 or 30 yards away from you whilst you both point at the baby. Make sure the person in the water knows what you are doing, then they can triangulate the the position of the person needed rescuing.

I know this because I pulled someone in trouble out of the surf on a beach once and would never have found them had I not been able to look back at the beach and use the pointers. Surprising how little you have to do to help save a life.

Depends how fit the mother was?

If it was an educated fit young lady of breeding then I’d be straight in. If it was some oiky lass then I’d probably just hold her can of Stella for her whilst she went in.

Having been trained to rescue rubber coated bricks in my youth I’d have been in and had a go at a push chair.

I can’t believe that some of you can’t swim! How the **** did that happen in this day and age?

I’d jump in, I’m a pretty good swimmer and I don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t try. I’m also guessing if it’s a marina there shouldn’t be any hidden rocks or the like.

The photo on the news shoed an old skool granite harbour wall about 20ft tall. Plenty of harbours dry out at low tide. Hence my comment that I’d go in, but only jump if I knew what was under the water (i.e. a lot more water).

honestly I dunno, couldn’t say one way or the other until it actually happen. Would like to think I would though.

DezB – Member

I’d shove the woman in for being so stupid as to let her push chair be “blown” into the damn water.

I was out in the open yesterday, and there was a sudden squall came over with a ferocious wind, if Ihadn’t squatted down against a small hawthorn tree to shelter from the driving rain, I reckon it could have easily taken me off my feet.

I’d have to fill out the correct risk assessment paperwork first; disciplined admin is the key to effective bravery.

Like to think so (more so as a Dad) but don’t really want to find out.
Thought about bagsying elzorillo as my bessie mate but then thinking he doesn’t seem that lucky to be around! 😉 On a serious note congrats to all those who have done brave deeds!

yep would jump in no problems (not bad for an H&S professional 😉 )

We were there last year, wouldn’t have fancied piling into that water on a January day!

I guess I’d do whatever seemed smartest at the time- jump right in if it didn’t seem like that’d just lead to 2 people needing rescued, seek lifesaving equipment or a ladder or such if that seemed like a better approach. Diving in and knocking yourself for 6 doesn’t help anyone.

What was the mum doing?

I’d be the chap that lifts Bullhearts paperweight, sending all his assesment forms fluttering away. This assumes there happens to be a desk handy, with a correctly adjusted chair.
Then I’d be in, like Kev Kostner in Waterworld meets the Man from Atlantis.

I live pretty close to Watchet and have been there a few times. The tide can be pretty bad around there but I would have been straight in (although this doesn’t stop the teens messing around in the water in the summer months). There are a few ladders into the water there so diving in wouldn’t have been necessary. But brrrrr that water would leave you diving back in once you saved the baby to find your man bits!

Probably not. I’m a rubbish swimmer, and if the mother isn’t going to risk it, I sure as hell won’t. Obviously TuckerUK’s caveat would have to be taken into consideration. If I could find a tender, or lifebuoy then I might have a punt.

I’d like to think I would and I also have to say I’d drown the bloody Mrs if she had just stood around screaming for five mins whilst our son was bobbing around in the water!!

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ViJp6Q_eE[/video]

I’d like to think I would

I probably would have stayed on the quay and knocked the living crap out the stupid dad for letting it happen. Wtf was he doing walking about there in a storm with a pram.

Some people really need there heads examined.

I like to think I would, although as above, why was the guy pushing his kid along a pier in a storm?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-21267100

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-21266662

Of course I would, I am an internet hero.

The dad was a couple of years above me at school, his brother was one of my best mates.

Turns out that the tide was in luckily, it’s a flippin long way down when the tides out at Watchet (some of the biggest tides in the world).

I would not because I can’t swim very well so you might be collecting two bodies instead …

Hareydan – Member
The dad was a couple of years above me at school, his brother was one of my best mates.

Great you might want to give him a phone and ask what the **** he was doing walking along there during a storm with a baby.

Just be nice to know thanks.

What un-spoon said, I wouldn’t jump in. There are normally ladders set into dock walls at intervals. I’d go down one of them. And I’d have to hope no-one would knock me out with an accurately-thrown lifebelt.

Probably not, I can’t swim.

The ability to possibly be able to one day save someone’s life is reason enough to learn to swim.

A lot of years ago when i was about 10 or 11 i was on a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads with my parents.
A boat was moored in front of us and as we got closer a young guy walking on the deck slipped off and went into the water.
I ran to the front of our boat and threw the rope out to the guy,twice,but his back was towards us so never saw it.In a few seconds he was gone.
His girlfriend was screaming and a fisherman from a passing boat jumped in but to no avail.
Just before this i was told to always wear the lifevest as the currents were really strong but unfortunately this guy didn’t have one on.Neither of my parents could swim and i think at that age with all the panic i never thought of jumping in.

I’d go in but before I’d take a few seconds to:

Watch the swell and refractions to get an idea of depth.

Get enough clothes off to be able to swim efficiently.

Think about the temperature/risk of hydrocution and how long I’d have before being forced to give up and save myself.

Locate an exit point or somewhere to aim for with the victim.

Look for a float, even an empty coke bottle under your shirt makes a rescue easier and anything bigger is a big help.

Then just before jumping spot a few sighting points to go for while swimming to be certain of being on target for the victim.

All that might take 10 to 30 seconds but much improve chances of success and getting out alive. I’m a reasonable swimmer but lack the fat to be a good life saver.

All that might take 10 to 30 seconds

In which time, the baby may well be dead.

I couldn’t save even a baby with a coat and shoes on, to save an adult I’d need to be down to a shirt and trousers. How long to strip that far? Try it.

How long does it take to look around for anything that floats? Not long but worth the time lost if you do find something.

How far do you have to swim? The baby was near the quay but sometimes you have to swim a distance. A few seconds on sighting and working out where to get out is worth it. Once in the water you can’t see very far at all unless it’s a flat calm.

Anyhow that’s what I’ve been taught and the instructors stressed that jumping in without thinking it through and some basic preparation means there are likely to be two people in need of rescue rather than just one.

Great you might want to give him a phone and ask what the **** he was doing walking along there during a storm with a baby.

HE wasn’t, he was a hundred or so metres away, and heard his wife scream. And there wasn’t a storm, but a sudden squall. As I said earlier, I was on the chalk downs above Calne, and I saw the rain coming in, it was a bit windy, but nothing much, then as the rain hit the wind started gusting up to forty or fifty MPH, then dropped back to fifteen-sixteen after the cloud and rain passed over.
It’s always good to see so many experts with their advise and comments on here as usual… 🙄

Anyhow that’s what I’ve been taught and the instructors stressed that jumping in without thinking it through and some basic preparation means there are likely to be two people in need of rescue rather than just one.

We’re talking about a real world situation here though, not a hypothetical training scenario. Granted, it would be great to have the luxury of time enough to do everything you spoke of, but the reality is that the actual situation might not afford you that luxury.

We’re talking about a real world situation here though, not a hypothetical training scenario

The secret of training is that you don’t panic and do all the wrong things in a real world situation. I’m with edu here – as mentioned above I did once hold the top qualification of the RLSS (believe me, that’s not all that easy to get) and have been involved in a couple of situations in real life – all too easy to become the second victim, no matter how strong a swimmer you are. Though I’m not sure that coat and shoes off would really take as much as 30s.