Welcome

Hello, and welcome to my blog! I'm not sure exactly what I'll be writing about, but with the project I've been working on for the past 7 months recently announced, I felt compelled to finally start one. Of course, it has taken me almost a week to get my blog up and running - more on that in future blog entries...

Serchie

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

"I nearly drowned"

Lyndsee, 16, is terrified of water, and for good reason...

Most people love swimming in the sea.

Lyndsee's terrified of the sea

I used to love it too. The ocean stretching out forever and that feeling of cool freedom.

Now it makes me shiver, and it's all because of something that happened to me on holiday last year.

My family usually don't get to go away much. Mum works really hard and my dad is often away so it's hard to find the time.

Then last year my mum announced that we were going to Cornwall for 3 weeks. Everyone was going, including my three sisters and my gran.

I couldn't wait.


We were all together and I was so happy


We stayed in this small flat near the sea. There was hardly room for us all but we didn't mind.

“It was our first proper holiday”

The first day was bright and sunny and we just couldn't wait to get down to the ocean.

There were some lads on the beach and really weirdly we knew one of them, Dan, from our home town!

He was a couple of years older than me and I'd always quite fancied him.


I couldn't wait to get in the ocean


I stripped off into my new bikini and I hoped Dan was watching as I ran out into the ocean.

The waves were huge but I'm a strong swimmer so I didn't think twice about swimming out.

"I'm going back in," my brother said, "I'm not as good at swimming as you," he told me.

I was gutted to see him go because we were having so much fun, but now I was alone with Dan so I didn't mind too much.

As Carl went back to the shore, we all decided to swim farther out into the ocean where the waves were amazing.

We tried to jump the powerful waves letting them throw us around and laughing.

“The tide turned”

Then the tide turned, literally...

All of a sudden I looked back and realised how far we were from the shore.

Then I felt a powerful surge around my legs which knocked me sideways.

When I got my balance back I was choking on salty water, I looked around for my friends but they were miles away.


I was terrified...


I couldn't understand what was happening.

Lyndsee is terrified of water

I was far far out in the ocean trying to swim back to shore using all of what I had to give physically and mentally.

I realised I had to think fast. Before I knew it I was getting further and further and further away from shore and I was getting tired.

All of a sudden I got the most horrible feeling in my right foot and I couldn't swim anymore.

I blacked out, I think. And when I came too I was being dragged back to shore by Dan and his mates. They'd saved me.

“I was safe...”

Finally I got back to shore and I had to look at my foot. It was bleeding and all red and about four times its size. I was in excruciating pain.

No one has ever been able to explain what happened to my foot.

I also have not gone in an ocean since. I am pretty scared to set foot in another ocean ever again.

I know that I should never have gone out so far, and that I'm lucky to be alive.

I may swim in an ocean again one day, but I'll never feel that surge of freedom again.

To anyone reading this I would say, don't go in the ocean not knowing how to swim. Don't go in the ocean alone. Be aware of how high and powerful the waves are.

No comments: