An eight-year-old boy who was swept out to sea has told how he survived by using a lifesaving swimming technique he learned at school only days before.
Clayton Garforth was paddling near Westport beach on the Mull of Kintyre on July 18 when a sudden swell took him off his feet and away from shore. He had arrived at the beach with his mum, Dannie, dad, Damon, both 29, and sister Faye, 11, only 10 minutes earlier.
His parents said the sea had been calm until he got in – and have been left suffering nightmares about what they saw next.
Sudden Swell and Panic
Clayton, from Tarbert, Argyll and Bute, told the Daily Record: "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, thankfully, Clayton exactly knew what to do.
Float to Live Lesson
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 out a rescue team, and two RNLI lifeboats were dispatched to the scene. 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.
He was taken to hospital, being freezing cold and having swallowed water, but was discharged the next day.
Asked what he would tell other children when heading to the coast this summer, he said: "Be careful near big waves. Stay safe."
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."
The Mirror has launched the Save Lives For Sam water safety campaign to tackle the UK's growing drowning crisis. Backed by MPs, Olympic champions, national water safety organisations and bereaved families, the campaign is calling for urgent action to make our waters safer. That includes compulsory water safety lessons in schools, a nationwide public awareness campaign, better lifesaving equipment at high-risk waterways, the introduction of Sam's Law, and a dedicated Minister for Water Safety.
