BG
English
Jan. 30, 2009
It was an early morning in late August – the end of summer, as Sean and his fellow lifeguards headed out to the beach. The sun began to rise over the ocean. Sean and his pals were in their bright orange bathing suits and putting on sunscreen like every other morning. Sean started out complaining about the lack of action in their jobs. However today would not be like every other day.
Sean had extensive training in his life guarding skills but he rarely had the opportunity to put them to use. His days often consisted of staring out at the ocean hoping for some action. Today he would get everything he could handle.
As Sean made his way to the lifeguard tower, he put his gear down and did his normal walk of the beach. It was one of the last beautiful days of summer and the crowds were really starting to pack the beach. By mid morning the beaches were as crowded as he had ever seen them. As the sun climbed higher, the heat drove the vacationers into the water. Sean pulled on his Ft. Lauderdale tee shirt to offer protection against the blazing sun. He scanned the beach with his binoculars.
By midday a sand bar had formed about 10 feet off shore. It drew the attention of many people. Sean rose tall in his chair above the clamor of the beach below him. He had an acute sense that something was about to happen. As he peered through his binoculars he noticed a sudden change in the texture of the ocean. Suddenly, the sand bar collapsed into the sea. Sean saw four kids who were on that section of the sandbar pulled into the ocean. He immediately recognized the signs of a riptide.
He grabbed his bullhorn and quickly ordered everyone out of the water. He radioed for assistance. A lifeguard commander knew something was wrong through the sound of alarm in Sean’s voice.
“Sean, what’s wrong?” the commander asked. “Riptide! Section four! I saw four kids pulled out about thirty yards. I’m going in after them. Send help!”“Help’s on the way, be careful, and remember your training!” The commander replied.
Sean dropped his radio, grabbed his torpedo buoy, and raced towards the water. He grabbed the surfboard near the shoreline and headed into the surf. He cast his eyes out to the children who had been dragged out. He could see that they were panicking and going under. The riptide had ended and the water became placid. Sean used his strong swimming skills to propel the surfboard towards the children. He reached one boy and pulled him onto the surfboard. The boy was about eight years old and he was hyperventilating. Sean calmed the boy down as he searched for the others. He saw two other boys and quickly brought them onto the surfboard. They were frantic and said their friend had gone under. Sean noticed one of the boys had a deep cut along his left leg and blood was pouring into the water. The boys pointed to the spot where they last saw their friend and Sean dove in that direction. He took a deep breath and dove down three fathoms to the ocean floor. The boy was tangled in a bed of seaweed but Sean quickly emancipated him. Sean was running out of air as he pushed hard off the ocean floor and used his powerful stroke to pull him to the surface. Most other lifeguards would have rued ever becoming a lifeguard in this quagmire. However, Sean was indefatigable and he pushed the last boy onto the surfboard as he paddled them toward the shore. Sean had no inkling that lurking behind him only ten feet away was a shark attracted by the blood flowing from the cut on the small boy’s leg. Luckily, Sean was bestowed with a strong kick as he powered the boys towards the beach on the surfboard. He peered towards shore and couldn’t help but notice the fracas. He heard many shrill screams and people pointing in his direction. He did not realize the quandary until he saw the look the in the eyes of the boy who had been under the water. The boy was staring past him. Sean thought he was trembling from the trauma he had just endured. The boy raised his hand and pointed behind Sean. As Sean turned his head back, he saw the fin of the shark that was rapidly approaching. Sean burst forward but he knew he could not out swim a shark.
Just then, Sean heard a high-pitched whine approaching from his left. He glanced over and saw his lifeguard commander cutting through the water in his jet ski, coming between him and the shark. Sean was exhausted as his fellow lifeguards helped pulled the boys to shore. Sean nearly collapsed on the beach trying to catch his breath while a chorus of cheers came from the bystanders on the beach. The paramedics took the children for treatment while Sean headed to the lifeguard station.
As they left work for the day, his friend Matt kidded him, “Just another boring day, huh Sean?”
