Porthcawl: Exhausted man saved from drowning by floating

A father who was dragged out to sea by a rip current said following the RNLI's "float to live" advice saved his life.

Ian Heppenstall, was swimming in Porthcawl, Bridgend, on 8 October when he found himself being swept away from shore by a powerful current.

The RNLI has asked coastal visitors to float rather than exhaust themselves so they can be rescued.

Mr Heppenstall, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, said: "It was like being in a washing machine and having a small car dropped on my head every few minutes.

"I managed to get out of the rip current, but it took all my energy to escape – I was shattered with nothing left in me. Then I went into float mode."

He lay on his back with his ears submerged, relaxing and trying to breathe normally, moving his arms to stay afloat.

He said: "If I hadn’t known how to float, I wouldn’t have survived. I felt so sorry for my wife and son – they couldn’t do anything for me, I was thinking of them more than myself in that moment."

Joe Missen, Volunteer RNLI Porthcawl lifeboat helm said if Mr Heppenstall had not been aware of the advice, the outcome "may have been very different".