It was a stinking hot day, typical NSW summer weather. Jessica, me, Chantel, and Chana went down to the river with our friends, Edward (15) and Peter (12). Everyone was feeling in good shape, so we decided to swim across the river. There was a strong current, but we’d seen other people do it. We arrived on the other side in one piece, took a little rest and then tried to swim back. I was starting to tire, and panic a bit coz the bank looked so far. Then I looked over at Chantel, who I was supposed to be looking after, and she was a bit further back and looking scared too. So I focused on that, and started shouting encouragement.
"You can do it, just keep paddling. If you miss the beach, it’s ok, just keep paddling. There are plenty of other spots to get out further down."
So we just kept swimming even though we were both exhausted. We were almost to the bank when I heard Edward shout,
"Help! Somebody, help me!"
I looked back briefly, saw him vertical in the water not far from the main beach, not swimming anymore but just kinda splashing around. I couldn't go back and help, not against the current. I was exhausted, could barely swim anymore. Instead I focused on paddling forwards, keeping Chantel from panicking, and getting to the bank safely. I saw Jessica out the corner of my eye, just to the right, pushing Chana on the boogie board ahead of her. I asked if she could touch the bottom, but she couldn't. My heart was hammering and my shoulders were burning. I'd abandoned over arm and was trying to conserve energy by just paddling. Edward yelled for help again, and I glanced back. If he just started swimming again, he'd easily hit the shallows, sooner than we had. But he wasn't, he was still vertical and yelling out for someone to help him. Peter was nowhere in sight. There were people on the bank but nobody made any move to help. I focused ahead again, put my feet down and felt firm sand at my toes. Desperately I forced my arms to move faster. I saw Chana kicking furiously, Jessica nowhere to be seen. I hit the bank, spun around and saw Jessica powering out to help Edward. Chantel and Chana floundered in the shallows, scrambling onto the bank. Jessica and Edward were almost in the shallows when I tossed the boogie board to them. Edward grabbed it, and I hauled him in. Jessica paddled to the bank. Edward flopped to the ground, shaking. Then there was a few seconds silence. Jessica and me both said about the same time,
"Where's Peter?"
as the panic stopped clouding our heads. I scanned the water, terrified he'd drowned. But then I spotted him, clinging to an overhanging branch... on the other side of the river. He'd turned back half way. Edward was zoning out on the bank. My mind raced. We had to find a way to get Peter across. If Edward wasn’t able to make it, how would his little brother manage? I knew there was a small motor boat on the bank not far upstream. If I could find the guy who owned it, he could take the boat and rescue Peter. I met a lady on my way to the main beach, who asked condescendingly where our parents where.
“They’re, uh, at the camp, up there.”
I gestured vaguely towards the campsite. She frowned, and I could tell she wasn’t happy about the fact our parents had let us swim the river unsupervised. I didn’t bother to tell her I was seventeen, and practically an adult myself.
“You’d better go get them,” she said,
still talking down her nose to me, which wasn’t easy because we were about the same height. But I just nodded, mumbled something to Chantel about a boat, rescue, and then my feet were moving. I pounded up the sandy track, running as hard as I could, until my lungs couldn’t pull in enough air. I had to slow down from my crazed sprinting to a nearly limping trot, gasping for air. My chest hurt. My side hurt. I reached the bus, stumbled against something that didn’t hold my weight. I straightened. Mummy looked up, smiled, said something cheerfully. I didn’t waste time, panting,
“We… swam across the… river. And then… swam back, but… Edward had to be rescued… by Jessica, and Peter’s… still on the other side.” I paused, and then added,
“We’re ok, but Peter can’t get back.”
Mummy and I raced to get the boys’ mother, Liz, from the caravan next door. By the time we got back to the river, two young boys were swimming across with our boogie board to help Peter, but on the way back, Peter got pulled downstream. The two other boys reached the shallows, but Peter just continued to be swept away, his strokes getting slower and weaker.
“Keep swimming! You got this, keep going!” I screamed, my heart racing again.
A teenage girl plunged in with a big inflatable ring, followed by her boyfriend. My team scrambled along the bank, hoping they’d make it to the second beach where we’d landed before. Peter was vertical now, his head tilting back, nearly below the surface.
“Keep paddling!” I shouted again, and I heard Jessica echoing my yell.
We hit the beach again, and I slipped over in the mud, scrambled to my feet, panting. The girl with the ring reached him first, and I
saw his arm come up, slinging it over the ring. The boy swam the last few feet and grabbed the ring, both swimmers paddling hard to reach the bank. I strode out until the water was up to my armpits. The boy reached out his hand as he got closer.
“Help me pull them in!”
I grabbed the young guy's hand and tried to haul him back to the shallower water. I felt my feet slipping and the current dragging me. I swung my right hand back behind me, the one not holding the guy's, and I felt Jessica grab it. She pulled me, and I pulled the guy, and then we were standing on the bank, shaking and panting and my heart was hammering. I'd never been so scared that I was going to die, or that I was about to see somebody else die. On the swim back, I felt like giving up. I was exhausted, and terrified. But I kept myself going by thinking of Chantel. If I was scared, she probably was too. She admitted later that she probably would have panicked if I hadn't kept telling her to stay calm, to keep paddling, that it was ok if she missed the bank. In doing that, I also kept myself from freaking out. Tonight my team and I went back to the log to swim and cool off. No more river crossings for me. But I am so glad I learned overarm this month, otherwise I probably wouldn't have made it. But we're all still alive, a bit sore and a lot tired, but we're alive. And that's all that really matters.
"You can do it, just keep paddling. If you miss the beach, it’s ok, just keep paddling. There are plenty of other spots to get out further down."
So we just kept swimming even though we were both exhausted. We were almost to the bank when I heard Edward shout,
"Help! Somebody, help me!"
I looked back briefly, saw him vertical in the water not far from the main beach, not swimming anymore but just kinda splashing around. I couldn't go back and help, not against the current. I was exhausted, could barely swim anymore. Instead I focused on paddling forwards, keeping Chantel from panicking, and getting to the bank safely. I saw Jessica out the corner of my eye, just to the right, pushing Chana on the boogie board ahead of her. I asked if she could touch the bottom, but she couldn't. My heart was hammering and my shoulders were burning. I'd abandoned over arm and was trying to conserve energy by just paddling. Edward yelled for help again, and I glanced back. If he just started swimming again, he'd easily hit the shallows, sooner than we had. But he wasn't, he was still vertical and yelling out for someone to help him. Peter was nowhere in sight. There were people on the bank but nobody made any move to help. I focused ahead again, put my feet down and felt firm sand at my toes. Desperately I forced my arms to move faster. I saw Chana kicking furiously, Jessica nowhere to be seen. I hit the bank, spun around and saw Jessica powering out to help Edward. Chantel and Chana floundered in the shallows, scrambling onto the bank. Jessica and Edward were almost in the shallows when I tossed the boogie board to them. Edward grabbed it, and I hauled him in. Jessica paddled to the bank. Edward flopped to the ground, shaking. Then there was a few seconds silence. Jessica and me both said about the same time,
"Where's Peter?"
as the panic stopped clouding our heads. I scanned the water, terrified he'd drowned. But then I spotted him, clinging to an overhanging branch... on the other side of the river. He'd turned back half way. Edward was zoning out on the bank. My mind raced. We had to find a way to get Peter across. If Edward wasn’t able to make it, how would his little brother manage? I knew there was a small motor boat on the bank not far upstream. If I could find the guy who owned it, he could take the boat and rescue Peter. I met a lady on my way to the main beach, who asked condescendingly where our parents where.
“They’re, uh, at the camp, up there.”
I gestured vaguely towards the campsite. She frowned, and I could tell she wasn’t happy about the fact our parents had let us swim the river unsupervised. I didn’t bother to tell her I was seventeen, and practically an adult myself.
“You’d better go get them,” she said,
still talking down her nose to me, which wasn’t easy because we were about the same height. But I just nodded, mumbled something to Chantel about a boat, rescue, and then my feet were moving. I pounded up the sandy track, running as hard as I could, until my lungs couldn’t pull in enough air. I had to slow down from my crazed sprinting to a nearly limping trot, gasping for air. My chest hurt. My side hurt. I reached the bus, stumbled against something that didn’t hold my weight. I straightened. Mummy looked up, smiled, said something cheerfully. I didn’t waste time, panting,
“We… swam across the… river. And then… swam back, but… Edward had to be rescued… by Jessica, and Peter’s… still on the other side.” I paused, and then added,
“We’re ok, but Peter can’t get back.”
Mummy and I raced to get the boys’ mother, Liz, from the caravan next door. By the time we got back to the river, two young boys were swimming across with our boogie board to help Peter, but on the way back, Peter got pulled downstream. The two other boys reached the shallows, but Peter just continued to be swept away, his strokes getting slower and weaker.
“Keep swimming! You got this, keep going!” I screamed, my heart racing again.
A teenage girl plunged in with a big inflatable ring, followed by her boyfriend. My team scrambled along the bank, hoping they’d make it to the second beach where we’d landed before. Peter was vertical now, his head tilting back, nearly below the surface.
“Keep paddling!” I shouted again, and I heard Jessica echoing my yell.
We hit the beach again, and I slipped over in the mud, scrambled to my feet, panting. The girl with the ring reached him first, and I
saw his arm come up, slinging it over the ring. The boy swam the last few feet and grabbed the ring, both swimmers paddling hard to reach the bank. I strode out until the water was up to my armpits. The boy reached out his hand as he got closer.
“Help me pull them in!”
I grabbed the young guy's hand and tried to haul him back to the shallower water. I felt my feet slipping and the current dragging me. I swung my right hand back behind me, the one not holding the guy's, and I felt Jessica grab it. She pulled me, and I pulled the guy, and then we were standing on the bank, shaking and panting and my heart was hammering. I'd never been so scared that I was going to die, or that I was about to see somebody else die. On the swim back, I felt like giving up. I was exhausted, and terrified. But I kept myself going by thinking of Chantel. If I was scared, she probably was too. She admitted later that she probably would have panicked if I hadn't kept telling her to stay calm, to keep paddling, that it was ok if she missed the bank. In doing that, I also kept myself from freaking out. Tonight my team and I went back to the log to swim and cool off. No more river crossings for me. But I am so glad I learned overarm this month, otherwise I probably wouldn't have made it. But we're all still alive, a bit sore and a lot tired, but we're alive. And that's all that really matters.