The kindness of strangers: a surfer whose face I never saw saved me from drowning in a rip | Swimming

I I had just finished school when I went to Brisbane to spend the summer with an old friend. It was a scorching hot day when her father suggested she go to Maroochydore beach. When we arrived it was windy and choppy so we decided to head into the shallows.

The next thing I knew, the water went past my knees, then past my chest, and then it pulled me under. Even though I had grown up near the beach and had swum a lot in my life, I had never encountered a current before, so I had no idea what was going on. I kept trying to swim to the surface of the water, but I would get to the surface, take a breath, and then be pulled back down. I know now that you have to swim sideways to escape a rip, but at that point all I wanted to do was get to shore and I was failing spectacularly.

This went on for quite a while and I was very tired. It was unreal to go swimming and drown moments later. I remember thinking: my mother is going to be very angry with me because I died.

I was quite far from shore at that point and the last time I came up to the surface I heard a voice say, “Do you need a hand?” I was too out of breath to speak so I just nodded and this person, a surfer on his board, pulled me out and took me to the beach. I didn’t even see his face because I was so focused on approaching the shore. Once back on the sand, I didn’t tell my friend what happened, too embarrassed to speak and not wanting to ruin her day.

If that surfer hadn’t caught me, I’m sure I would have drowned, like so many Australians do on the beach. That would have been the end of my story. I was 18 then and I’m 74 today. I had a long, happy and productive life thanks to this stranger whose face I never saw. I would like to thank him from the bottom of my heart.

What is the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

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