A BUDE surfer's quick reactions saved the life of a male holidaymaker who had gotten into difficulty at Sandymouth beach, writes Robyn Pengilly.

Cai Waggett was enjoying an early morning surf last Thursday when he spotted two girls on the beach. He explained: "I thought I'd head in when I saw this couple's two daughters waving at me from the shoreline.

"They were waving and shouting and pointing beyond the rocks."

Cai looked over and could see two people in trouble and, as it was before 10am and there were no lifeguards on the beach, he shouted to the girls to run and get help. He paddled over to the couple who were caught in a rip tide and were quite far out into the water, to the right of the beach.

He said: "When I got there the couple were about five yards apart from each other."

'He was blue'

The husband, who was aged 67, was "visibly really not good at all," said Cai. He added: "It was really disturbing. His face was like nothing I've ever seen. He was completely blue and his tongue was purple. He was not with it at all."

It was obvious that the couple had been in the water quite a long time and Cai knew he had to act quickly. He said: "The woman was as white as a sheet but she was telling me to help her husband. He was visibly the worst."

Cai jumped into the water and got the gentleman onto his board, which was not easy as the man was fully clothed, including still wearing his walking boots.

Cai said: "I had a horrible feeling he was going to go at any minute. I knew I had to get him on land so I started trying to paddle back. He was losing consciousness. He'd been treading water for so long he was exhausted. I was holding his head up trying to make sure he didn't swallow any more water and I was telling him to look at me and talk to me."

The man's wife had been able to use the waves to follow them through the rocks. Cai said: "After what seemed like forever I dragged him in up through the rocks and could slump him over one of the rocks."

However Cai continued: "I knew I had to get him further because the tide was still coming in." At this point an off duty paramedic arrived.

Cai was able to drag the man to a point on the rocks which was safer and to his relief, the lifeguards and further paramedics began to arrive.

He said: "As soon as the lifeguards turned up they were straight over with oxygen out."

Looking back, Cai said: "He was not very good at all. Everyone agreed he certainly didn't have very long out there left."

In the ambulance, paramedics carried out checks on the man before eventually letting him return to his holiday accommodation.

It later emerged that the couple's daughters had gotten into difficulty when bodyboarding and their father had ran into the water to help them. When he too got into trouble his wife, who had been walking the dog, went in the sea to help. The daughters managed to get to the shore but their parents were not able to.

'Note of thanks'

The family, who were staying at Coombe Valley, left a note for Cai thanking him for everything he had done and letting him know that they were all ok.

Modestly, Cai said: "I was just at the right place at the right time. It was complete instinct, I don't know anyone who wouldn't have done the same thing."

However, he admitted the experience was "quite traumatic" and added: "I went back down the next morning because I didn't sleep very well — just to get my head around it. I've questioned it over and over again, but everyone agreed he wouldn't have lived. It was just luck, I was just at the right place at the right time."