…..I live next to Lake Ontario and on the weekend I saw this
Last weekend I went for a walk along Lakeshore Drive and I noticed that there was a person on the lake on a sail board. It was well below freezing and the wind was quite brisk. When I got to Rotary Peace Park I noticed that the surfer was still on the water but he seemed to be in the water more than on the board. He was clearly having trouble navigating the board to shore.


I started to get anxious because every time he fell he seemed to go further out into the lake. There was no boat near by and there were no supporters on the beach in case he ran into trouble. I watched for a long time, worrying that the longer he spent in the water the greater the risk of hypothermia kicking in. I was seconds away from dialling 911 when all of a sudden the surfer got back on the board and finally navigated his way back to shore.


What would you have done if you saw someone struggling in an icy cold lake in January?
Thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/01/10/raindrops-on-a-leaf-water-water-everywhere-109/
I think I would have responded exactly as you did, Carol.
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I was really scared for him but I think if I had called the police he would have been angry with me. I’m glad I waited it out.
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You handled it right, but I can imagine your trepidation. If he hadn’t made it and had drowned, I can’t imagine the guilt you would have felt. A hard decision to make.
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I probably would have called for help, but seems like he was prepared and knew what to do
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In the end he did seem to know but I wasn’t sure how long he could stay in the water at those low temperatures.
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