Some pretty big things happened on ✓ Project Bucket List, leading to some pretty big stories. I certainly didn’t expect swimming in a mountain river to be one of them. I originally thought that this would be a cute, slow slice of life about relaxing by a campsite and taking a dip in a cold stream. Good news for you, ADHD-riddled schmucks, it turned into a story where I actually saved somebody’s life.
Yeah, you thought I was insufferable before? Just you wait until people start calling me a “hero“. Buckle up, nerd, I’m about to pitch an origin story.
Every year, Kymberley and her troupe of theatre kids head to a special little place tucked under the foot of Snowdon (or Yr Wyddfa as the locals know it). That place is the Llyn Gwynant campsite, a beautiful little spot with a gorgeous lake and a cool river that flows from the eastern slopes of Snowdon. Even during the summer, the temperatures rarely rise above 10C, making it a hell of an experience for those special little flowers like me that don’t like the cold.
As is tradition, the troupe members give themselves to Gwyn every year by submerging in the river by the campsite, in the hope that Gwyn will giveth gifts in return. The first gift this year was seeing 3 otters playing along the jetty – Gwyn giveth.
The place is an amazing spot, and in terms of a relaxing “get away from it all” holiday, it’s delightful. There’s one single spot where you can get internet, and it’s full of midges, perfect for those who want an escape.
Getting into the river for the first time is Cold, with a capital C. The first time you submerge up to your chest, it’s a full-body shock. You feel your lungs and chest tighten immediately, like someone has hit you with a cricket bat, and your heart rate spikes. Your body involuntarily draws in a huge breath, and you suddenly feel hyper alert.
Then, within a minute, your body has started to acclimatise. Without you even noticing, you’re smiling. The water is cool and fresh, but you’re not having a bad time. In fact, you’re having a good time! You stick your head underwater, feeling that same rush as before, but on a much smaller scale, and then:
You’re in a mountain river, with some of the freshest water you’ll ever swim in, tiny sticklebacks darting around your feet, and a stunning landscape around you. It’s a beautiful thing to do, and if you’re in a gorgeous location with good people, it’s something really special to experience.
We decided to head to the lake afterwards, where it might be a little warmer. The lake has random shelves dotted all over the place, where it goes shallow, then deeper quite quickly – those are the colder spots.
After a few dips in the lake, then, we hear it. A voice cuts through the air and shouts, “help!”
I turn and look, and a guy is waving his arms around. He’s in the water up to his neck, and his brother is standing around 15 meters away, water up to his waist, staring at him.
The guy in the deep shouts “help!” one more time, and I start moving towards him, fast. He could be dicking about, but on the off chance he’s not, someone has to do something.
I keep a firm eye on him as I swim towards him, passing the brother and getting closer. As I approach, his mouth starts spending more and more time under water, and his eyes are wide like dinner plates staring right back at me.
I reach him, and immediately he latches onto me, desperately pushing me down underwater. I can feel his limbs flailing. It’s a hell of a struggle, and I fight my way up for air. I break the surface, but again, he pushes me down under the water; he’s doing everything he can to get air. I can’t get back up this time, and I feel my breath short, so I swim deeper, push him upwards, and swim slightly away from him.
I gasp for air myself, then I grab him from the shoulder and start pulling towards the shore, using one arm to swim. He’s taking in water as he scrambles around me, so I tell him to turn around and face upwards, “Look at the sky, look upwards!“
He turns around straight away, and suddenly he’s working with me, kicking his legs, and we get closer and closer to shore. One of his uncles reaches us in the water, helping me drag him in. We reach a shelf, and then we’re standing up, and he’s looking at me, eyes wide and mouth gasping. “I didn’t realise it was that deep“.
I can’t quite describe to you the look on someone’s face when they realise they nearly died. It’s harrowing; he stares into space with this deep, wide look in his eyes. I check that he’s breathing fine, and after some spluttering, I can’t see any discolouration on his lips. I immediately forget everything I learnt just one week before in a First Aid class – I get as far as telling him “keep breathing, get out of the water and get warm”, before his uncle walks with him back to shore.
It takes another 10 minutes before my adrenaline starts to die down, and I can calm down, then another 5 before I start to realise that I just saved someone’s life. I can’t quite get my head around it, really. It doesn’t seem to compute in my head.
Kymberley, Gez, Cam, Alex, Lizzie, Marion – you’re all fantastic people and I appreciate every one of you, but you’ll never make it as paparazzi. Not one single photo of me being a hero, get your act together people, how will we ever make it big? What am I supposed to send to BBC News?
Oh, and to make matters worse?
The little fucker didn’t even say thank you.
