Dramatic video shows hero surfer rescue drowning man in Barcelona
The man in his sixties was rescued after being dragged underwater around 200 metres from the shore.
Spain’s choppy seas this week provided prime conditions for surfers, but one hapless swimmer got into serious trouble on Tuesday when he got dragged out to sea just off Barcelona's famous beach, La Barceloneta.
A surfer saw his plight and rushed out into the water to rescue the elderly man, pulling him onto his board and paddling back to shore through crashing waves.
Jordi Forner was on the shore when he heard someone was in trouble in the water and immediately ran in to help.
"I don’t consider myself a hero. I took the opportunity to catch a big wave and carry him to the shore on my surfboard," he told Catalonia-based newspaper, La Vanguardia.
The man Forner saved, who was around 60 years old, is shown hugging the surfer in the video once they reach the shore.
"He thanked me for saving him," the surfer added.
Emergency services checked the man after the incident but he needed no further medical attention.
"It all happened very quickly. It’s not the first time a surfer has rescued a swimmer in these waters," said Forner’s father, who videoed the dramatic rescue from the shore.
In the video, the older man clings to the board as it careers towards the beach, carried by the power of the huge waves.
As they near the shore the board tips up and the man goes flying into the sea, but luckily managed to walk out of the water without assistance.
Comments
See Also
Spain’s choppy seas this week provided prime conditions for surfers, but one hapless swimmer got into serious trouble on Tuesday when he got dragged out to sea just off Barcelona's famous beach, La Barceloneta.
A surfer saw his plight and rushed out into the water to rescue the elderly man, pulling him onto his board and paddling back to shore through crashing waves.
Jordi Forner was on the shore when he heard someone was in trouble in the water and immediately ran in to help.
"I don’t consider myself a hero. I took the opportunity to catch a big wave and carry him to the shore on my surfboard," he told Catalonia-based newspaper, La Vanguardia.
The man Forner saved, who was around 60 years old, is shown hugging the surfer in the video once they reach the shore.
"He thanked me for saving him," the surfer added.
Emergency services checked the man after the incident but he needed no further medical attention.
"It all happened very quickly. It’s not the first time a surfer has rescued a swimmer in these waters," said Forner’s father, who videoed the dramatic rescue from the shore.
In the video, the older man clings to the board as it careers towards the beach, carried by the power of the huge waves.
As they near the shore the board tips up and the man goes flying into the sea, but luckily managed to walk out of the water without assistance.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.