An eight-year-old boy who was dragged out to sea off the Mull of Kintyre survived by putting into practice a school lesson he had learned just weeks before. Clayton Garforth was paddling near Westport beach, not far from Campbeltown, at about 3pm on Saturday July 18 when a sudden swell took him off his feet and carried him away from shore.
His ordeal began just 10 minutes after he had arrived at the beach with his mum, Dannie, dad, Damon, both 29, and sister Faye, 11. Clayton, from Tarbert, had just told his dad he was going in the water, but as soon as he turned around, the waves took him out. His parents said the sea had been calm until the terrifying moment he was taken so abruptly.
Remembering the Float to Live advice
Clayton said: "I was getting further away in the water. I was screaming." Dannie and Damon said: "We're still having nightmares about it. We aren't good swimmers so if we ended up out there with him, we could've all been in trouble. Every time we tried to get to him we got pushed back in and he was pushed further away. He was standing on some shallow sand at one point and we thought he was okay and then it would suddenly get deeper."
People on land immediately called 999 and alerted the Coastguard, but Clayton knew what to do. The youngster had learned a lifesaving lesson from Tarbert Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT), who had visited his school, Tarbert Academy, at the start of summer. There, they taught pupils what to do in an emergency – float to live.
Clayton, who wants to be a medic when he grows up, said: "I remembered to float and not use up my energy." Damon added: "I was keeping my eyes on him and was shouting for him to float on his back – but he knew what to do before I did."
Rescue and recovery
While Clayton kept himself above water, tracked carefully by his parents from the shore, HM Coastguard sent Campbeltown CRT and two Campbeltown RNLI lifeboats. An HM Coastguard helicopter also flew to support. Before the rescuers arrived, however, Clayton was safely helped out of the sea by a father-and-son pair of surfers.
The youngster was freezing cold and had swallowed water. He was taken to hospital but was released the next day. Now Clayton has a message for other kids heading to the coast. He said: "Be careful near big waves. Stay safe."
Coastguard praise
David Graham, Coastal Operations Area Commander, said: "Well done to Clayton for reacting so sensibly to such a sudden, scary incident. It shows how quickly an emergency can begin but also the best way to respond. I'm very proud of Tarbert CRT for teaching the lifesaving Float to Live advice that kept Clayton safe and gave him the best chance of survival. By saving his energy, he gave time for rescue and for crews to respond to the 999 call."
