Alex Trelinski
AN OFF-DUTY Guardia Civil officer who went fishing off the Alicante coast rescued a man, 69, whose kayak had overturned.
The sergeant was returning to shore due to inclement weather and spotted the kayak drifting 700 metres away with nobody inside.
He braved the difficult sea conditions to investigate further and found a man clinging to the hull of the craft.
The sailor was not wearing a life jacket and had no means of calling for help.
He showed clear signs of exhaustion and hypothermia.
The officer secured the man to stop him drowning but could not lift him into his vessel due to the waves and his poor physical state.
He kept hold of him with one arm before calling for help from his Guardia colleagues.
As he waited for a patrol boat to arrive, he kept talking to stop the man from losing consciousness and gave him some water.
The victim was taken to Alicante where he was treated by medics- something his rescuer also needed due to his strenuous efforts to keep him the 69-year-old alive.
I sincerely hope that this fearless off duty officer is honoured appropriately for saving the man’s life.
I wish them both a full recovery.