Woman saved from drowning at Silver Sands beach by off duty paramedic and local couple

A humble off-duty paramedic insists he was “just doing what I’m trained to do” after helping to save the life of an unresponsive swimmer at a popular beach in Adelaide’s south last night.

A humble off-duty paramedic insists he was “just doing what I’m trained to do” after helping to save the life of an unresponsive swimmer at a popular beach in Adelaide’s south.

A 38-year-old woman is recovering at the Flinders Medical Centre after being pulled from the water at Silver Sands beach, near Aldinga Beach, at about 7.40pm on Thursday.

Aldinga Beach couple Mick Wootton and Allison Meaney spotted the woman in the water and carried her to the shore before off-duty paramedic David Pateyjohns, 51, and another off-duty ambulance officer began CPR.

Off-duty paramedic, David Pateyjohns, who saved a woman from drowning at Aldinga Beach, after Allison Meaney and Mick Wootton pulled the woman from the water. Picture: AAP / Dean Martin

“I was just having a swim before dinner and about 30m offshore I noticed that one of the members of our group was waving at us quite wildly,” Mr Pateyjohns, of Aldinga Beach, said.

He soon realised a woman was in trouble.

“I noticed she wasn’t breathing, she was pale … and she didn’t have a pulse,” he said.

By this stage, another woman rushed up and identified herself as another off-duty paramedic.

“The other (paramedic) started compressions … but after about 10 seconds, copious amounts of water was coming out of the lady’s airways so we had to continually rotate her on her side and drain her airway and go back to do some more compressions,” Mr Pateyjohns said.

The pair continued to treat the woman for about two to three minutes, while they awaited ambulances and the MAC emergency helicopter to arrive.

“Fortunately she started breathing for herself,” Mr Pateyjohns said.

Shortly after, emergency services arrived and took over.

The woman was flown to Flinders Medical Centre where she remained in a stable condition. Picture: Leon Bignell

The woman was flown to Flinders Medical Centre where she remained in a stable condition on Friday.

But Mr Pateyjohns, who was at the beach with his daughter Scarlet, 17, son Talli, 15, and other friends, insists he is not a hero, despite playing a pivotal role in the woman’s rescue.

“I’m just doing what I’m trained to do,” he said.

“I hope she’s getting well and we’ll see her at the beach sometime.”

Ms Meaney, 46, said she was relieved the woman was recovering from the ordeal.

She was the first to spot her in the water.

“I saw this girl and she was upside down, floating and I said … ‘I’m not sure about this girl, should we go and check on her?’,” she said.

“I walked over and … she didn’t look good, grey and upside down and lifeless.”

The rescuers were relieved to hear the victim was recovering well after being flown to hospital. Picture: Leon Bignell

Ms Meaney’s partner Mick Wootton, 54, rushed into the water and they both carried the woman to the shore, where they frantically called to Mr Pateyjohns for help.

“We’re just glad that we were there,” Ms Meaney said.

“I hope she recovers fully.”

Mr Wootton said he was proud of his partner for her quick thinking action.

“I think my partner saved her life,” he said.

“If Allison didn’t do what she did then, I don’t think she would have survived.

“It was a bit of a moment down there, quite scary actually.”

Mr Wootton also heaped praise on Mr Pateyjohns, saying he “flew into action” to help the woman.

Mr Wootton’s son Beau, 20, said the woman was lucky Mr Pateyjohns was on the beach.

“He’s a good neighbour … we get along really well with him but he also does an awesome job,” he said.

The emergency response was also complicated by another beachgoer suffering a seizure. Picture: Leon Bignell

The emergency services response at the time was also complicated by another person at the beach having a seizure as paramedics gathered to treat the woman.

The other patient was taken to the Flinders Medical Centre by road in a stable condition.

The near drowning came less than a week after Nepalese student Nischal Ghimire drowned at Glenelg Beach.

Mr Ghimire’s family are still in Adelaide co-ordinating the repatriation of his body back to Nepal.