East Lothian family 'thought they would die' after waves dragged them out to sea
An East Lothian family are urging others to be safe at the seaside after they were left fearing for their lives.
Kerry O'Hara and her partner Lewis Patchatt, who live in Athelstaneford, were at Tyninghame Beach with three children on May 24. Just as they were going to leave. Kerry's 12-year-old daughter got back in the water - before they heard screaming.
The couple ran in to reach her, and found themselves being dragged out to see. Kerry remembers Lewis telling her he loved her, and that she should save herself.
Recalling the terrifying incident, she said: 'It was a beautiful day on this stunning beach, and myself, Lewis and the three kids were all having fun.
"The waves were a bit high, and it was a quite windy, but we were only in the sea up to our knees. In the afternoon we were getting ready to leave when my 12-year-old daughter went back into the water.
"The next minute we heard her screaming and saying she was stuck. Her feet couldn't touch the ground."
Kerry managed to get her daughter and pass her to a man on the beach, before a strong current came and 'took her away'. When she managed to calm herself down, Kerry had been carried out 'a fair distance'.
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Lewis went after her, but the waves were getting bigger. They remember feeling like they 'weren't getting anywhere'.
Kerry added: "I was holding onto Lewis who was panicking. We were just trying to keep our heads above water and it felt like an eternity passed. Lewis was telling me he couldn't hold on any longer and he was going to die.
"He kept going under and I had to pull him back up. He was telling me he loved me and I should save myself. I was getting frantic because I couldn't leave him and there wasn't a way out.
"That's when I saw the man with the surfboard coming and I told Lewis to hang on. The surfer had to struggle to against the tide, but he reached us and got Lewis onto the board."
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The rescuer helped the couple back to the sand, with the RNLI lifeboat from Dunbar Harbour arriving. They administered medical aid to Lewis, who was then airlifted to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh and treated for water in his lungs.
Kerry said: 'If the surfer wasn't there, I think we would've drowned.
'I hadn't seen any danger in the water. I only realised how much trouble I was in when I felt the strength of the current pulling at my legs. I would encourage everyone going to the beach to be aware of riptides and stay vigilant.'
You can find advice for staying safe in the water here.
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