Day out turned into sea drama rescue for pals

Adam Willis, 24, Danny Rawdon, 18, Nick Wray and Oliver Nunn, both 27, were part of a group of nine on a bank holiday birthday trip and were moving on to the next pub when a cyclist spotted the drama unfolding at around 2.20am last Monday and went to help.

The 19-year-old woman had walked into the water but got swept off her feet by a wave.

Entering the freezing Irish Sea, the men - who are 
from Brotherton, Wakefield and Crofton - helped drag her to the beach.

He said: “When the cyclist came over we didn’t believe him at first but when we looked, there was a girl 60 yards out and all you can see is her head bobbing up and down.

“We had been drinking all day but as soon as I saw it, I realised straight away what had to be done. I didn’t think about what could have happened to me, there was no other option.”

“There were no rings, nothing we could throw to her. She was that far out we just had to see if the tide brought her back.

“Luckily it did and at that point it was do-able to go in and get her. I tried to calm her down as best I could.”

Mr Rawdon took his shirt off and wrapped the woman in it until the emergency services arrived. Reluctantly, she was taken to hospital and later discharged.

Coastguard, Paul Little, said if the teenager had been in the water any longer she probably wouldn’t have survived,

He said: “They were very brave. Between the four of them they have saved her life.

“She would not have survived very long in the water and it would have been a completely different outcome. It was selfless.

“If you are in the water, you have 10 to 15 minutes before you succumb to the cold. That’s when you drown.”