Off-duty teen lifeguard helped save drowning man; bystanders did nothing for 'more than 2 minutes'

National drowning prevention week Safety experts are reminding Canadians that drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death in the country.

A Metro Vancouver swimming club and lifeguard corporation are recognizing a young, off-duty lifeguard for her efforts to help a drowning man at a popular beach this month.

Crescent Beach Life Guarding Corporation shared details of the incident Sunday, saying a 19-year-old lifeguard and some bystanders helped a man who appeared to succumb to the currents and steep drop-off on Aug. 16.

The CBLG said people at the beach saw a man who was "slowly slapping the water awkwardly and silently coming up for air." The incident happened at about 7:30 p.m., just 30 minutes after lifeguard patrols ended for the roped off area at Crescent Beach.

"More than a dozen people stood on the beach watching his movements for more than two minutes before one of them asked his nearby sister to swim closer to check if he had gone unconscious," a statement from the CBLG said.

The man's sister confirmed he was unconscious and she and two other women helped drag the man to shore.

Emma Baecker, a 19-year-old lifeguard who was in the middle of coaching a paddleboard lesson nearby, swam over to help. She did chest compressions on the man until local firefighters arrived minutes later. He was taken to hospital and discharged after a couple of days.

Baecker said the area is especially dangerous in the morning and at night because of the significant drop-off and a strong ocean current in and out of Boundary Bay, connected to the tides.

Katie Brook was one of the women who helped drag the man out of the water.

In a statement shared by CBLG, she said the Baecker helped save the man's life.

"She did an excellent job in that situation … she obviously knew what she was doing and went through the steps," Brook said, adding that she didn't recognize the man was drowning at first.

"I think I probably had an unrealistic conception of what drowning looked like. Part of me thought they'd be screaming or calling for help. I would have thought that it would look more frantic and that's why we didn’t think he was drowning. It almost looked like some strange creative exercise."

Baecker's advice is to check on people as soon as possible if you're unsure of their safety in the water.