British tourist thanks lifeguard after nearly drowning at South African paradise beach

Darren Sutton, a 59-year-old tourist from Northumberland, was rescued at Wilderness Beach, a coastal area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, while on a three-week holiday with his wife, Linda Barrett.

While swimming at Wilderness Beach, known as one of Africa's most beautiful unspoilt nature spots, he was caught in a strong current and swept out to sea.

Despite his proficiency, Sutton struggled against the current for approximately 45 minutes. Sutton explained in his video: "I got into awful trouble this morning. I drifted and then drifted again, and I tried to swim hard to get in but I was tiring pretty fast. I was probably in the water for about 45 minutes."

Noticing his distress, Barrett alerted three National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) George municipal lifeguards on duty.

Lifeguard Channah van Coller immediately entered the water with a rescue torpedo buoy to assist. She reached Sutton beyond the back breakers, instructed him to hold onto the buoy, and began the challenging swim back to shore. The rescue took about 20 minutes, during which both van Coller and Sutton battled the strong current.

Sutton said: "My life was saved this morning by a wonderful young lady. The courage and heroics of Channah were incredible."

Upon reaching the shoreline, fellow lifeguard Josh Sholtz assisted in bringing Sutton safely onto the beach. Once ashore, Sutton was medically assessed and found to require no further assistance.

He recounted: "It took us both a good 20 minutes to get back in, both paddling and swimming. Heroics, professionalism, I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life."

He also acknowledged that such incidents likely occur frequently, underscoring the importance of beach safety. The couple later met van Coller to express their gratitude in person before continuing their holiday in South Africa.

Story: NewsX