St John Ambulance Cymru’s Marine Division, Ferryside Lifeboat, saved the life of a young man who got stuck out at sea last week.
25-year-old Josh Davies from Swansea was on holiday at Kidwelly Holiday Park, on a family break for his son’s birthday. He was enjoying a beach day with his partner and young children when he got stuck out at sea. Luckily, Ferryside Lifeboat was there to bring him to safety.
The father of four was playing football with his young children on the beach when the ball got kicked into the sea. The water was fairly low, so he went in to retrieve it.
Before Josh knew it, the tide had come in and he had been stranded on a small part of sand.
“The sea rose from my ankles to my neck in minutes,” Josh recalled. “I was shouting to my family on the shore, and I was really panicking.”
Josh managed to swim over to a mooring buoy, where he clung on for several minutes before help arrived. “I lost all feeling in the bottom half of my body and I was so scared” he said, “I thought I was going to die.”
The Ferryside Lifeboat crew quickly arrived on scene. To reach Josh safely, the boat was manoeuvred downstream so that if Josh let go, he could drift down towards it. He was safely brought onto the boat in one swift manoeuvre by volunteers Mike and Dave.
“I can’t thank Ferryside Lifeboat enough, if it wasn’t for them I could have died,” Josh said.
He was brought safely to shore where he was treated by Ferryside Lifeboat volunteers. The Ferryside Team were backed up by a multi-agency response, including a Coastguard rescue helicopter, Burry Port Coastguard, the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, South Wales Police along with Burry Port and Tenby lifeboats.
“With the spring tide in full flood the casualty demonstrated great courage and strength by not giving up and holding on until help arrived,” commented Ferryside volunteer Dave Atkinson.
“This scenario demonstrated the high level of skill at Ferryside Lifeboat and joint operability between multiple agencies who work as one team.”
The Ferryside Lifeboat Division of St John Ambulance Cymru was set up in 1966 as the area had become a popular centre for dinghy sailing, power boating and water skiing in the six years following departure of the RNLI lifeboat in 1960.
The volunteers work hard to monitor the shores and keep people safe, often playing a lifesaving role on the coast from Pembrey to Pendine up to Laugharne, Carmarthen and Kidwelly.
Josh is understandably shaken up after such a frightening incident but is so thankful to the team at Ferryside who saved him, “I’ll forever be grateful to them,” Josh said. He is now safely back at home with his family.
Josh and his family.
The team at Ferryside are gearing up for a busy spring and summer period, partaking in regular training exercises to fine tune their rescue skills. The Marine Division of St John Ambulance Cymru is another way the first aid charity for Wales is working hard to keep communities across the country safe.
You can find out more about St John Ambulance Cymru’s lifesaving work by visiting www.sjacymru.org.uk.
You can read more about the history of Ferryside Lifeboat at www.ferryside-lifeboat.co.uk.
The Ferryside Lifeboat Team at a recent training day.
Gwirfoddolwyr Bad Achub St John Ambulance Cymru yn Glanyfferi yn achub bywyd tad ifanc
Fe wnaeth Adran Forol St John Ambulance Cymru, Bad Achub Glanyfferi, achub bywyd dyn ifanc a aeth yn sownd yn y môr yr wythnos ddiwethaf.
Roedd Josh Davies, 25 oed o Abertawe, ar wyliau ym Mharc Gwyliau Cydweli, ar wyliau teuluol ar gyfer pen-blwydd ei fab. Roedd yn mwynhau diwrnod ar y traeth gyda'i bartner a'i blant ifanc pan aeth yn sownd yn y môr. Yn ffodus, roedd Bad Achub Glanyfferi yno i'w achub.
Roedd y tad i bedwar o blant yn chwarae pêl-droed gyda'i blant ifanc ar y traeth pan gafodd y bêl ei chicio i'r môr. Roedd y dŵr yn weddol isel, felly aeth i mewn i'w nôl.
Cyn i Josh wybod, roedd y llanw wedi dod i mewn ac roedd wedi dod yn sownd ar ran fach o dywod.
“Cododd y môr o fy mhigwrn i fy ngwddwg mewn munudau,” cofiodd Josh. “Roeddwn i’n gweiddi ar fy nheulu ar y lan, ac roeddwn i'n mynd i banig.
Llwyddodd Josh i nofio draw i fwi angori, lle daliodd ymlaen am rai munudau cyn i gymorth cyrraedd.
“Collais bob teimlad yn hanner gwaelod fy nghorff ac roeddwn i mor ofnus,” meddai. "Roeddwn i’n meddwl fy mod i’n mynd i farw.”
Cyrhaeddodd criw Bad Achub Glanyfferi y lleoliad yn gyflym. Er mwyn cyrraedd Josh yn ddiogel, symudwyd y cwch i lawr yr afon fel pe bai Josh yn gadael fynd, gallai llithro'n araf i lawr tuag ato. Cafodd ei helpu'n ddiogel i mewn i'r cwch mewn un symudiad cyflym gan y gwirfoddolwyr Mike a Dave.
“Ni allaf ddiolch digon i Bad Achub Glanyfferi, oni bai amdanynt, gallwn i fod wedi marw,” meddai Josh.
Cludwyd ef yn ddiogel i'r lan lle cafodd driniaeth gan wirfoddolwyr Bad Achub Glanyfferi. Cefnogwyd Tîm Glanyfferi gan ymateb aml-asiantaeth, gan gynnwys hofrennydd achub Gwylwyr y Glannau, Gwylwyr y Glannau Porth Tywyn, Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Gwasanaethau Ambiwlans Cymru, Heddlu De Cymru ynghyd â badau achub Porth Tywyn a Dinbych-y-pysgod
“Gyda llanw’r gwanwyn yn llawn, dangosodd ddewrder a chryfder mawr drwy beidio â rhoi’r gorau iddi a dal ymlaen nes i gymorth cyrraedd,” meddai gwirfoddolwr Glanyfferi Dave Atkinson.
“Dangosodd y senario hwn lefel uchel sgiliau tîm Bad Achub Glanyfferi a’r gallu i weithredu gydag asiantaethau lluosog yn gweithio fel un tîm.
Sefydlwyd Adran Bad Achub Glanyfferi gan St John Ambulance Cymru ym 1966 gan fod yr ardal wedi dod yn ganolfan boblogaidd ar gyfer hwylio dingis, cychod pŵer a sgïo dŵr yn y chwe blynedd yn dilyn ymadawiad bad achub yr RNLI yn 1960.
Mae’r gwirfoddolwyr yn gweithio’n galed i fonitro’r glannau a chadw pobl yn ddiogel, gan chwarae rôl achub bywyd yn aml ar yr arfordir o Ben-bre i Bentywyn hyd at Dalacharn, Caerfyrddin a Chydweli.
Mae’n ddealladwy bod Josh wedi’i syfrdanu ar ôl digwyddiad mor frawychus ond mae mor ddiolchgar i’r tîm yng Nglan y fferi a’i hachubodd, “Byddaf yn ddiolchgar iddynt am byth,” meddai Josh. Mae bellach yn ôl adref yn saff gyda'i deulu.
Gallwch ddarganfod mwy am waith achub bywyd St John Ambulance Cymru drwy ymweld â www.sjacymru.org.uk.
Gallwch ddarllen mwy am hanes Bad Achub Glanyfferi yma: www.ferryside-lifeboat.co.uk.
