Mum’s horror as daughter, 10, saved from rip current by stranger at Northumberland beach

Denni-Marie Tall got caught in a rip current while in the sea at Blyth beach

A 10-year-old girl was rescued by a stranger after getting into difficulty while swimming in the sea. Denni-Marie Tall got caught in a rip current while at the beach in her hometown of Blyth, Northumberland.

When the youngster struggled to get back to shore, her mum Emma Tall, 48, rang the emergency services for help. Paul Turner, who was on the beach with his wife and two children, spotted that Denni-Marie was in trouble.

The 43-year-old ran into the sea and saved her life. He managed to push her back to shore while going under the water himself to keep her afloat. The dad-of-three tore his calf during the rescue and also developed hypothermia.

They were both rushed to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington for treatment. Denni, who was in the water for around half an hour, was given a heat blanket to help the bottom half of her body to regain normal temperature.

Emma, who has three other children age 29, 28 and seven, said: “It was absolutely horrific. It was like something out of a movie. I was panicking and the ambulance people were saying ‘Are you ok, you can hardly breathe’. I was in shock.

“Paul was an absolute hero. If it wasn’t for him I don’t think Denni would have survived. He was amazing.

“He gradually moved them across rather than trying to fight it. He got Denni across, and into better water, and managed to push her out of the water before the emergency services got there.

“I feel like we owe him so much. I’m so grateful he was there that day. I’ll always be thankful to him.”

Emma and Denni-Marie went to the beach at lunch time on Monday, May 4, which was Bank Holiday Monday. She said her daughter had arranged to meet a school friend and they had little surfboards.

Emma said: “They were both in wetsuits. They went into the water and I took videos and pictures of them.

“Her friend managed to get out of the water but Denni was struggling. They were screaming for help.

“Denni was saying ‘I can’t get back’. I said ‘Float on your back and don’t panic” but it was a struggle for her to float on her back.

“It was horrific. At first you think it’s not even real and then you realise that this is getting bad.”

The mother-of-four said she was on the phone to 999 when Paul approached her and told her he was going to go in the water to help her. She said: “I was like ‘Are you sure?’ I was on the phone to 999 and they were saying not to go in the water.

“Paul went in to get her. He was just a stranger there with his wife and kids.

“When he reached Denni, he also got stuck so then he started shouting for help. It was awful.”

Emma said Denni was in the water for around half an hour before Paul managed to push her to safety. She said: “She was being violently sick.

“She couldn’t really speak at first. She just kept saying ‘I’m cold’. She kept falling because her legs felt like jelly.

“Paul was so cold as well. He kept saying to put the blankets and the towels on Denni.

“Denni will often cry and say ‘I was lucky wasn’t I?’ If it wasn’t for Paul I don’t know what we would have done.

“I hope we can remain friends. He truly is a hero and a unbelievable person.”

Denni added that she can’t thank Paul enough for what he did and she’ll never forget him.

Emma has urged others to be aware of rip currents, which are sometimes called rip tides. She added: “I know about rip tides now but I didn’t know about them then. I didn’t know what to look out for.”

A rip current is a powerful, narrow stream of water moving rapidly away from the shore, typically cutting through breaking waves. To find out more about them click here.

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