uMgeni Park heroine rescues paddler
The Danville Park Girls' High School learner was out in the surf on a lifesaving board known as a Malibu, when she dove in to help the paddler safely back to shore.
UMGENI Park teenager, Emma Slack (16) put her lifesaving training to the test when she spotted paddler, Darell Penn struggling in the rough surf after slamming into a sandbank.
The Danville Park Girls’ High School learner was out in the surf on a lifesaving board known as a Malibu, when she dove in to help the paddler safely back to shore.
“I was out in the back line when I looked over to my left and saw a man in a sticky situation because the wave had broken on him and his ski was broken and he was trying to get back into his ski. I paddled over and helped him onto my board. Then I took his paddle, swam next to him and helped him onto the beach,” said Slack.
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Penn, said he was unable to use his right arm which was injured when his ski snapped as he wiped out, slamming into the sandbank.
“Emma stayed in the break zone with me despite the size of the waves and assisted me onto her Malibu and swam with me back to the beach. She then came back out to where I was standing and walked me to the beach staying with me until she was sure I was okay as I was having breathing problems after swallowing a fair amount of sea water. She was training at the time when she saw me and came right over. I found her to be a very polite and humble,” he said.
Slack said she began her lifesaving training as an U11 lifesaver and obtained her Junior Lifeguard Award (JLA) in 2018.
“It’s definitely something that I will continue with, it’s a very nice sport to participate in,” she added.
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