Hampton Beach rescue: 'Human chain' formed to save swimmers caught in rip current

HAMPTON — A man was pulled to shore unresponsive Saturday after he and two others were caught in a rip current at Hampton Beach.

The man was swimming with co-workers in the water across from Nudd Avenue when firefighters were called to rescue them at 8:25 p.m. Hampton Fire Chief Michael McMahon described a “human chain” of bystanders attempting to help as firefighters and off-duty lifeguards rushed into the water.

Edzana Fernandes, who was one of the three people saved, said the unresponsive man is her co-worker and remains in a coma. However, she said, he was beginning to move his hands Monday.

“He’s getting better,” Fernandes said.

The three rescued swimmers were 200 yards offshore when they were caught in the rip current, which causes water to flow away from the beach and towards the ocean. Fernandes has little memory of what happened that moment.

“I can’t really remember it to tell you because I was in a panic,” Fernandes said.

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Soon people on shore began calling for help as they realized the swimmers were becoming trapped, some attempting to save them.

Ella Bezanson, a 19-year-old nursing student, said she was on the beach with her father and cousins, playing with remote-controlled cars, when she heard a commotion.

“I turn, and I look, and I see a bunch of people screaming,” Bezanson said.

The people in the water, she was told, could not swim.

“I grab a boogie board,” she said, and then she rushed to the ocean.

When she reached the swimmers in distress, she said, one of the three had already made it to shore. She saidFernandes was “completely out of breath” as she pulled her onto her boogie board. The male coworker, Bezanson said, was floating away from them with only his head visible.

“The current is so strong,” she said.

Bezanson said she told Fernandes to kick her legs as fast as she could as they began to make their way out of the rip current. At that point, another person had come out to help.

“I told him the guy looks like he’s not alive,” Bezanson recalled. She said the person then turned back to shore to get more help.

Bezanson knew immediately she wanted to help despite having no water training.

“I feel like it’s just natural human instinct to go out and save somebody or do the best you can,” Bezanson said. “My adrenaline was just going so fast that I just didn’t even think of it at the time.”

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Hampton firefighters pull swimmer from ocean, perform CPR

Hampton firefighters trained in ocean rescue arrived two minutes after being called with an engine and ambulance and rushed into the water, according to Chief McMahon. They were joined by off-duty New Hampshire State Parks Beach Patrol lifeguards who also came to the scene.

The rescuers pulled the three people to shore, one of whom was the unresponsive man, according to McMahon. Hampton Fire Lt. Buck Frost, who responded to the scene, said the man received advanced cardiac life support, or ACLS, for several minutes on the beach.

Frost said the man was transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, his ACLS care continuing inside the ambulance provided by the Seabrook Fire Department. One of the other two swimmers was also transported to a hospital by North Hampton fire with non-critical injuries, he said.

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Hampton Beach lifeguards have made 207 rescues this summer

Before Saturday, Hampton Beach lifeguards had already made 207 ocean rescues this season as of July 20. They and other organizations will work to educate the public about beach safety Thursday with the annual Water Safety Day put on by the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Water Safety Day, held since 2015, offers beachgoers a chance to talk to rescue workers and water safety experts as they convene at the Hampton Beach Seashell Complex. In addition to Hampton lifeguards, firefighters and police, the public will be able to interact with members of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Seacoast Science Center’s Marine Mammal Rescue and Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Co.

The day includes rescue drills, lessons and games.

“It’s just one of the best days on Hampton Beach,” said Hampton Beach Lifeguard Chief Patrick Murphy.

The lifeguards hope the games and drills teach beachgoers valuable lessons about how to be safe in the water. Rip currents can appear without warning as beachgoers enjoy the water.

“The ocean is an ever-changing environment,” Murphy said.

The currents occur in gaps in the sand bars, according to Murphy, and can be anywhere from 20 to 100 yards across. Murphy said they appear deceptively calm.

“Waves typically do not break in the rip currents, so it looks more like a flat, lull area,” Murphy said. “It’s current is going out, so it’s a deeper area of water.”

Beachgoers must remain calm if they end up in a rip current, according to Murphy. Then, he said they can swim parallel to the beach until they eventually reach the nearest sand bar.

“You can honestly go from 10 to 12 feet of water and then you swim parallel, you could be in 3, 4 feet of water within 15 to 20 yards,” Murphy said. “It depends on the rip current.”

It’s remaining calm that Murphy said is most critical. He also said before entering the water, people need to use caution and he advised against swimming after the lifeguards are off duty.

“Know your ability. That goes for everybody that goes to the beach,” Murphy said. “It’s an ever-changing environment. It’s unforgiving.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach rescue: Firefighters save three from rip current