The Rescue That Became a Second Casualty
Lena is riding a PWC in open coastal water when she sees a swimmer, Aaron, being pulled offshore by a rip about 150 metres from the beach. The sea is choppy with a 1-metre swell. Lena has no rescue training, no throw bag, and her PWC has a rear boarding step but no rescue sled. She approaches Aaron at speed from the beach side, intending to grab him as she passes. Aaron is panicking, waving both arms, and has already swallowed water. As Lena gets close, the jet intake and the wash push Aaron under, and he comes up coughing and more panicked. Lena then tries to pull him onto the ski from the front, and the craft nearly capsizes. She has not called for help and does not know if anyone on the beach has seen them.
1. Identify what Lena did wrong in the approach and the recovery, and describe the correct sequence.
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The approach. Approaching a panicking person at speed from the beach side drives the craft toward them and uses the wash and jet as a weapon. A PWC has no propeller, but the jet intake can trap limbs and the thrust can push a person under. The correct approach is slow, from the side or from downwind/downsea so the craft drifts toward the person rather than being driven at them, with the engine in neutral or off once close.
The recovery. Pulling a panicking person over the front is the worst option - it puts their weight over the bow, invites capsize, and puts the rider in reach of someone who may climb on top of them in panic. The correct method is to get the person to the rear boarding platform, have them grip the handles, and board from the back with the craft stable. If they cannot self-board, the rider assists from a stable position, not by hauling them over the bow.
The missing step. Lena never raised the alarm. Before or during any rescue, someone should be calling for help - marine rescue, emergency services, or a person on the beach. A single untrained rider with no equipment is not a rescue system.
The principle. Reach, throw, don't go - and if you must go, go slowly, from the right direction, with the engine controlled and the person's panic managed first.
2. Aaron is now coughing, exhausted and frightened, and the swell is building. What should Lena do next, and what should she have done before entering the water?
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Next steps. Stop trying to haul him aboard. Keep the craft between Aaron and the open sea if that gives shelter, keep him talking, get him onto the rear platform with the engine off, and get him low and stable. Do not restart the engine with anyone in the water near the jet. Once he is aboard or holding the platform, head for the beach at a speed that does not throw him off, and get him assessed - swallowed water and near-drowning can deteriorate after the event, so a check is not optional.
Before entering the water. She should have: made a Mayday or called for help and given her position, the number of people in the water and the nature of the emergency; put on her own lanyard and checked her kill switch; assessed whether she was the best-placed rescuer or whether a patrol vessel or helicopter was closer; and considered whether approaching at all was safe given the chop and her lack of equipment.
The hard judgement. An untrained rider on a PWC with no rescue gear is a marginal rescuer. The exam wants you to see that the right answer is often 'raise the alarm, stay with the person, and do only what you can do safely' rather than 'ride in and grab them'. Lena's courage was not in question; her method turned one casualty into two.
Reporting. Afterwards she should report the incident, because a near-drowning and a marine rescue are reportable events and the information helps future responses.