ON a cold dark December evening, experienced swimmer and scuba diver Garrett McConnell came within seconds of being swept out to sea at the Boat Strand in Carrickfinn.
In the pitch dark, the Letterkenny man swam out slightly from the slipway and when he turned around, the little light marking the end of the pier was at least 40 meters from where he expected it to be.
Speaking to the Donegal News he described the 30 second delay in registering what was going on.
“It felt like I was in a fast flowing river and it then dawned on me that I was caught in a big surge and I was getting pushed out to the ocean,” he said.
“I think I then went into survival mode at that stage.”
He knew he couldn’t swim against the current and instead to swim across it, and in the pitch black he caught a glimpse of an outline of nearby rocks.
“I wasn’t naive, even at that stage I had everything going through my head.”
Through his work scuba diving Garrett has been a part of body searches, “so I was under no illusions, I knew how serious it was straight away.”
“Another 30 seconds and the option of getting on them rocks would have been gone, I would have been too far out and I know I probably wouldn’t have been found.”
“I knew it was going to be hopeless if I got washed out, so I completely focused on getting across to the rocks and I swam for my life.”
He then got a hold of piece of seaweed and clung to the rocks, Garrett then recalled roaring for help.
A group of people who had gathered on the pier heard his desperate pleas and called the emergency services.
Garrett explained that he had gone to the beach that night to take part in a charity swim. He arrived early and got undressed and ready to get in the sea, but while waiting he grew cold and impatient.
Once he spotted cars arriving and people getting ready to take the plunge he decided he would quickly jump in to mark the occasion and in those brief few moments’ disaster struck.
Like clockwork the waves crashed in to the rocks Garrett had clambered on to, with each pounding he braced himself and held on for dear life.
But despite his legs becoming completely numb and being unable to climb further onto the rocks, he felt relief as he could hear the voices echoing from the nearby pier.
“I knew there was help on the way and I just had to sit this out.”
Garrett clung to those rocks for over an hour. He recalled the embarrassment he felt and how he hoped his wife wouldn’t find out because he knew how much worry it would cause her.
It was then he heard the unmistakable thudding above of the Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue helicopter.
He laughed as he described how just like in the opening credits of Mr Bean, the light shone down on him before he was winched to safety.
Swimmers who participated in the rescue exercise with Arranmore RNLI at the Boatstrand, Carrickfin on Sunday. From left, Roswitha Isermann, Greta Duffy, Garrett Mc Connell, Danielle Mc Glynn, Sally Rodgers, and Elaine Boyle O’Donnell.
The Boat Strand is tucked away from main beach, the small cove calms the wild Atlantic waves, and for that very reason it has grown hugely popular with sea swimmers.
Garrett who works as a psychiatric nurse has been married to Annagry woman Helen for over 20 years. Their home in Letterkenny has defective concrete, so they have been living in west Donegal while it is demolished and rebuilt. So he is no stranger to the busy swimming spot.
“If I was going for a swim that’s normally where I would go and I’ve always felt safe there.”
He admitted that’s maybe where a bit of complacency creeped in.
The experience has since had a lasting impact, not just on Garrett but on the wider swimming community.
On Sunday afternoon he got back into the water at the Boat Strand, this time as part of a life-saving training exercise simulating the rescue of distressed swimmers at the popular beach.
Prompted by the near-tragedy Arranmore RNLI’s Life Boat Operations Manager Jerry Early decided to organise the training exercise, aimed at better preparing both local sea swimmers and the volunteer lifeboat crew.
Members of the Buoys and Gulls swim group also took part. They were among those on the pier that night, whose quick thinking led and alerting of the emergency services helped save Garrett’s life.
He praised Elaine, Martin and the wider group, along with the local community and the rescue services.
Garrett has since joined the group himself and has braved a couple of dips, gradually becoming more comfortable in the water again.
“It will always carry it with me and I’ll learn going forward,” he said
Swimmers making their way into the sea at the Boatstrand, Carrickfinn on Sunday for the training exercise with the Arranmore RNLI. (Photo: Eoin Mc Garvey)