WA Surf Lifesavers Help Save Bali Tourist

Coogee Beach Surf Life Saving Club member Cath Spencer went to Bali for what was supposed to be a relaxing post-Christmas family holiday but ended up in the middle of a life-and-death drama at popular Waterbom Park.

Cath had to call on all her lifesaving skills to revive a young woman in her early twenties who’d collapsed and stopped breathing whilst lining up for a water slide. “I thought she’d just fainted because the lines were very long, but she was completely out of it. I put her on her side then a doctor who was visiting the park also came to the woman’s aid. But neither of us could find a pulse,” Cath said.

The collapsed woman’s companion attempted to put a couple of breaths into her before the doctor asked Cath to commence CPR.

“I didn’t even think twice, the training just kicked in. I thought I might freak out in a situation like that but I didn’t – thanks to my surf lifesaving training I knew exactly what to do,” Cath said.

“I had done close to 30 chest compressions when she grabbed my arm – it was such a great relief. The Doctor found a faint pulse but she was still in a bad way so we rolled her on her side again. With so many people lined up it was a bit of a struggle getting her down the stairs but eventually we got her down to an ambulance that had been called.”

Cath says the woman’s companion didn’t appear to speak English and she never learned her name or where she was from. All she was told by the Doctor later was that the young woman had continued to recover in the ambulance.

Cath’s 16 year-old daughter, Zoe, who’s also a patrol member at Coogee Beach, was nearby and assisted by supporting the collapsed woman’s head as CPR was being applied.

“After it was all over and everyone had settled down I thought it was a great lesson for the children as to why we do surf lifesaving and CPR and First Aid training – to save lives,” Cath said.

Originally from country Victoria, Cath has been a member at Coogee Beach SLSC for about five years. She was in Bali with her husband Darren, two other children Imogen and Flynn and two of their friends.

Surf Life Saving WA’s Training and Education Co-ordinator, Sara Ronald, said the incident highlighted how important lifesaving skills were.

“That collapsed woman was very lucky indeed that Cath was close by and possessed the skills required to revive her thanks to her surf lifesaving training,” Sara said.

“Of course you don’t have to be a surf lifesaver to have those life saving First Aid skills.

“Anyone can be a lifesaver with the right training. Ideally every community member should have basic lifesaving skills. It’s not difficult to learn First Aid but one day it could prove the difference between life and death.”

To learn more visit …
https://www.facebook.com/SurfLifeSavingWaTrainingAndEducation or http://www.workplacelifesavers.com.au/