Two brave Barbadians wasted no time when they saw a tourist in trouble out to sea.
Mark “Spriggy” Martindale and Lennux Ferdinand dashed into the waters off the coast near Sam Lord’s Castle in St Philip to save the life of Canadian visitor Ewen Alexander.
The rescue unfolded on Tuesday around noon when Martindale, who is in charge of maintenance at Coral Cove House, heard a call for help.
“I came around the house and saw a man far out in the water but I thought he was just swimming. Then I heard him yell for help, so I ran inside and told my boss,” he said.
Martindale said he ran across the rocks and jumped down onto the beach. He said a wave had washed Alexander close enough for him to reach the struggling man and keep his head above water. However, this was not the end of the ordeal, Ferdinand, a computer technician, recalled.
“Jan [Wesson, owner of Coral Cove] told me that Mark needed help and when I got there, Mark was holding him [Alexander] but couldn’t move him. Then a wave hit them but to his credit, Mark didn’t let go; he just dug his feet into the sand, giving me time to go to the front and help bring [Alexander] to shore,” he said.
