19-year-old Ella Bezanson rescues swimmer trapped in rip current at Hampton Beach
HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. - A 19-year-old woman came to the rescue after she saw two swimmers caught in a rip current at Hampton Beach on Saturday.
Ella Bezanson was vacationing with family when she saw the two people struggling in the water. Bezanson, a nursing student, grabbed a boogie board and ran into the water.
"I was really freaking out, honestly," said Bezanson. "It was really scary but all I could think about was I just need to get to the girl first because I need to save her, I'm right there."
Bezanson paddled 200 yards off the shore to get to the woman struggling to stay afloat.
"When I got to her, she was just kind of in shock," said Bezanson. "She was trying to catch her breath, she couldn't breathe. She was just really scared honestly."
The woman was brought back to the shore and survived. Firefighters managed to save the second swimmer, who remains hospitalized in a coma.
Hampton Fire Deputy Chief Bill Paine said while there are some telltale signs, rip currents can also sneak up on unsuspecting beachgoers.
"It basically goes one to two feet per second, up to eight feet per second," said Paine. He said to never swim against the current. "What you have to do is turn and swim parallel to the shore until you can feel that it's no longer pulling you out. Then you can effectively swim back to shore."
WBZ-TV spoke with the woman who was rescued by phone and said she is grateful Bezanson rescued her.