Emeline Golden said she was at the popular park last Friday with her children, two and five, when she heard “some screaming going on around the corner”. “There was a mother in distress and they said there’s a boy out there, he’s not a strong swimmer, he’s autistic and he’s swimming in the sea,” Golden told Global News on Saturday. “The waves were quite big. I said, “I’m a pretty strong swimmer, I can give it a shot.”
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Golden said someone else was soaking wet on the beach, having already tried to save the 15-year-old. Nevertheless, she stripped down to her underwear and dived into the water. Story continues below ad It was difficult to find him, Golden added, because of the size of the waves blocking her view. When she reached him, she said his lips were blue. Knowing he has autism, she said she kept her distance and spoke sensitively, but he became afraid of her and began swimming further out towards the Spanish Banks. “I gave all my strength and went to swim in front of him so that he would stop swimming towards the middle of the ocean. He started kicking me and pushing me away,” Golden recalled. 1:12 North Shore rescue crews deal with three injured hikers on Labor Day North Shore rescue crews deal with three injured hikers on Labor Day Golden said she backed off a bit and tried a new tactic: “I just said, ‘Your mom’s at the beach, she’s got bottoms, they’re yellow.’ He said he was able to get the teenager, who police described as non-verbal, to approach him and grab his T-shirt. Story continues below ad “I was confident in my abilities, but I didn’t know what he was going to do. He kept putting his face in the water to rest,” she said. “I was holding him up and just swimming with one arm and just talking to him trying to stay calm. I knew the currents were so strong and we were still 100 meters from shore.” Trending Stories
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By that time, first responders – including firefighters, police and the Canadian Coast Guard – had gathered at Dundarave Beach. Const. Kevin Goodmurphy of the West Vancouver Police Department described it as a “frantic scene.” He said police were called to the beach around 9:30 a.m. by the boy’s distraught caretakers. “I looked and there was this tiny little head hitting about 300 feet offshore, and I thought, ‘We’ve got to deal with this right now,’” he told Global News. Goodmurphy said he saw Golden fight the waves to get to him. “I understand that she was there with her two young children as well, that she ran ashore, risked her life to swim 300 feet from shore without a personal flotation device,” he said. Story continues below ad “She is nothing short of a hero and deserves all the credit in the world for absolutely saving this person’s life.” 0:51 Rescue crews search for someone trapped in building collapse in Vancouver Rescue crews search for someone trapped in building collapse in Vancouver – July 15, 2022 The West Vancouver mom was able to hold on to herself and the boy until a Joint Rescue Coordination Center crew arrived and pulled them both into an inflatable boat. Goodmurphy said he also feared for her safety as a drowning or desperate person can do “desperate things”, even when someone is trying to help them. “I can tell you it’s been terrifying for all of us on shore watching it and trying to coordinate efforts to get somebody to them,” Goodmurphy said. “He did an amazing thing.”
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Story continues below ad Const. Nicole Braithwaite echoed Goodmurphy’s comments, describing Golden as a “hero”. “Although the police don’t necessarily recommend that people do this – the water is very cold and it can be very dangerous – she was a very, very strong swimmer and made the ultimate sacrifice to leave her children at the beach and swim that person and keep them calm,” Braithwaite said. “The West Vancouver Police will recommend that she be recognized for her heroic actions.” 0:40 Rescued seal named ‘Timbit’ released back into the wild Police said the teenager was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but ultimately no one was injured. When they got back to the beach, Golden said his mother “basically tackled her” on the dock crying. “She was so upset, the carers were obviously so upset. Everyone was just upset. I’m just glad it was a successful mission out there,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t think twice about doing it again. Story continues below ad “It’s just a sense of duty, a sense of community, you go and do your best.” © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
