Programmer Ivan Katančević (38) from Niš, who is vacationing with his family in Greece, saved two children and a woman from drowning yesterday at Sikia beach in Sithonia, “Blic” learns. Two dramatic rescue operations took place in less than an hour in the morning at the beach in this place, which is located near Sarti, a resort popular with a large number of Serbs.
The brave man from Niš first managed to save a seven-year-old boy from Greece from the sea, who was dragged about thirty meters from the shore by large waves while playing with his brother in the water, and shortly after that, at the last moment, a woman from Greece who was holding a five-year-old girl in her arms!
-The beach is called “Sikia beach” in Sithonia and there are no lifeguards on it, which was strange to me because the beach is large. I am a programmer by profession, so I wake up early, and since the morning I noticed by the high trees in Sikia that a strong wind was blowing. The hosts warned us that there are big waves when the wind blows and that we should be careful. It was around 10 o’clock, we were sitting on the sand at the beach, but my daughter insisted that we enter the water. We were in the shallows about five meters from the shore where one could stand, the water was waist-deep – Ivan begins his story for “Blic”.
Not far from them, he noticed two boys from Greece diving, one was about 12 years old, and the other about seven years old.
-They were diving, looking for shells, but the waves were slowly pulling them toward deeper water, and they probably didn’t even notice it. At one point, they went about 20 to 30 meters from the shore because the waves were really big. They started screaming and crying, but their family members didn’t hear them due to the noise from the waves, which were a meter and a half to two meters high – Ivan says.
In a split second, he had to make a quick decision – whether to take his daughter, who was with him, out of the water and then go help the boys, or to immediately swim toward the boys, whom the waves had already separated? There was not a second to lose because the situation was dramatic.
-The older boy knew how to swim better, while the younger one barely did. Every wave was covering him. I decided to head toward him with my daughter for those 15 meters. I was in a dilemma because I was afraid for my own child, but she had floaties on her arms, so I decided to move toward the boy. Somehow I reached him, he grabbed onto me when I arrived, he was upset and crying the whole time. There it was already about three meters deep because that spot is in the central part of the beach. I couldn’t stand, but kept myself afloat, holding my daughter in one arm and this boy, who was trembling the whole time, with the other – Ivan remembers the dramatic moments of the rescue.
Following the drama, his wife started screaming, so the boys’ father saw what was happening, jumped into the water, and swam to them.
-I told him to take the older child first, and he dragged him somehow to the shallows. I tried to swim somehow, but I couldn’t with two children in my arms, even now I get upset when I remember. Then the father returned for this second boy as well, and I, along with my daughter, since she had floaties on her arms, slowly somehow reached the shore. The waves were strong, it lasted about twenty minutes. I managed to get to the shallows somehow, and we came out onto the shore – Ivan explains.
However, the dramatic events did not end there.
-Just as we sat down, we were very upset, I saw a larger-built woman in the water holding a four or five-year-old girl in her arms. I paid attention to her because, after this event, out of fear, I was watching what was happening on the beach. The water was literally up to her chest, but the waves were dragging her toward the depth! She tried to shout, but couldn’t because she was making an effort to keep the child above water, while the waves were constantly covering her – Ivan describes the moments of new drama on the beach.
Everyone was watching, but no one dared to go help her. Ivan, fortunately, did.
-A Greek man had a styrofoam swim float tied to his arm as an auxiliary tool, I asked him to take it, tied it around my arm, and swam out again about 30 meters from the shore, to the place where those boys were previously. The waves were really big, the woman had already gone under, just trying to keep the child above water as much as she could. Her head was under water the whole time, which is why she couldn’t shout – Ivan describes the drama.
When he reached her, he handed her the styrofoam float so she could keep herself on the surface.
-She started coughing because she swallowed water, at that moment my wife started screaming, her husband noticed that, swam over, and took the girl. I held the woman the whole time because she had no strength. Every time a wave covered us, this styrofoam would slip out of her hand. I grabbed her and slowly managed to drag her to the shallows. It was really terrible. Fortunately, after that, everyone took the situation seriously and no one entered the water anymore – says Ivan.
The people he helped thanked him, asking if they could do anything for him and his family.
-I was just glad that everyone was fine. Thank God, everything ended happily, but it was really fortunate – he adds.
Particularly great luck in the whole situation was that Ivan is an excellent swimmer. The question is how the drama would have ended if someone with less experience in the water had been in his place.
-Recreatively, I swim a lot at the Čair pool in Niš, and I also go to relay triathlons with the company where I work as a programmer. I swim, a colleague rides a bike, and a third colleague runs, and that’s how we’ve been competing for years. I also swim long distances of five or 10 kilometers. In triathlon competitions, I swim at Silver Lake, where there are also whirlpools – Ivan confides.
However, the situation he found himself in was dramatic even for such an experienced swimmer as he is.
-The waves were huge and strong, you go one meter and it pushes you two meters back, and you have nowhere to lean because the depth is three meters. In the first moments, I felt helpless when I tried to swim and couldn’t. I was calm, which is the most important thing in such situations. When I reached the boy, I assessed that it was best to keep ourselves afloat until help arrived, because next to me was also my daughter with floaties, and I had no auxiliary tool. This woman panicked, which is why she swallowed water, because she tried to swim. But it’s impossible in such moments to fight the waves. She was investing more and more energy to keep the child above water, and she was swallowing more and more water and started drowning because she didn’t have the strength to stay afloat. Fortunately, everything ended well – Ivan concludes.
He warned all tourists vacationing in this part of Sithonia to pay special attention when winds blow, as waves can be strong and unpredictable.
A MAN FROM BELGRADE DROWNED WHILE SAVING A MAN
As a reminder, Goran Komazec (56) from Belgrade tragically lost his life on the famous beach in Sarti on August 10, on the Greek peninsula of Sithonia, after, according to unofficial information, he attempted to help a man who was being pulled away from the shore by a strong sea current.
The tragedy occurred while Goran was at the beach with his wife and minor son. At one point, a cry for help was heard, and a strong sea current began pulling a swimmer away from the shore. According to unofficial information, Goran’s heart could not withstand the exertion and the sudden entry into cold, rough water. It is assumed that cardiac arrest occurred, but the exact cause of death will be known after the autopsy.
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Source: Blic, Photo: Privatna arhiva