Survivor Stories

On July 18th of 2018, I visited the Hampton Beach State Park for the first time with my children and some friends. In total, there were 3 adults and 10 children ages 11 to 2. I am a strong, healthy 42 year old woman, albeit a little overweight. I grew up in Massachusetts near the ocean and I'm very used to swimming in ocean waters. In the past, I have been a swim instructor and I have been trained in rescue strokes. I am generally a very strong and confident swimmer.

 

It was about 2 in the afternoon and high tide was around 4pm that day. There was one female life guard on duty in our immediate area. I was playing in the ocean with 5 of the kids- ages 10-11. We were about waist deep and jumping with the waves and swimming into them. The waves were pretty big where we were, so it was a lot of fun. One by one, the kids started heading in towards the beach until the only ones left out in the waves were myself and my 10 year old son.

 

I knew that the tide was coming in so I made sure that we were maintaining a safe distance from the beach. Suddenly, I went to jump a wave and I noticed that my feet weren't touching the ground anymore. My son commented the same thing. I told him to start swimming towards the beach and I started swimming alongside him. Very soon, I could feel the ocean start pulling us backwards no matter how hard I was swimming. It felt like the ocean wanted to take me. There was a very constant and insistent push/pull sensation all around us. Luckily, my son is also a very confident and strong swimmer and he did a fantastic job of staying right with me the whole time. I tried to remain as calm as possible throughout the incident even though I knew what was happening and I knew we were in danger. I kept talking to my son, encouraging him to keep swimming and to keep his spirits up. He started to drift back a little so I held on to his arm as we swam.

 

I was constantly scanning and searching along the crowded beach to find the lifeguard, but I couldn't see her anywhere. Two of the older kids with us were further up on the beach and they could see us, but they didn't realize what kind of danger we were in. I tried yelling to them to get help, but they didn't understand. I was getting tired and started feeling hopeless. The pull from the ocean was unrelenting. As we were swimming, it looked like we were making zero progress, no matter how hard we were swimming. It was very defeating. A couple of times, I ducked under the water to relax my strokes for a moment, and I quickly realized how people drown so easily, but I knew that I had to get my son to the shore so I kept my head up.

 

My husband, daughter and I went out early to Jones Beach State Park field 6 on Friday morning 7/27/18. I am not a strong swimmer and saw the waves looked a bit rough so I waded on shore while they went out to enjoy. They are both strong swimmers and he had been out earlier for a quick dip but jumped right in. When he went in with our daughter they slowly walked in the ocean and looked for a calm spot to get in (bad idea). I watched them on the shore and smiled as they enjoyed the warm (surprisingly not freezing) but rough waters. A few minutes later I noticed they were swimming parallel to the shore and thought nothing of it since that is how I heard you are supposed to swim near the shore. I followed them over 40 meters (maybe more) west and greeted them. To my surprise my husband was so winded he fell when a wave pushed him onto shore. He told me they could not get to shore and he was exhausted! From the looks of it on the shore I had no idea they were in trouble. He explained that when he noticed they were further out he decided to come closer to shore but quickly realized he wasn't moving closer and was getting tired. He grabbed our daughter and calmly told her to come toward him as they swam parallel to the shore. She looked at him a bit nervously but listened and they made it to shore after a big wave pushed them in. Our daughter said she couldn’t get to shore and it kept pushing her back out to sea.

Luckily they are both good swimmers and did NOT panic. If I was out there I would have panicked and maybe it would not have been a happy ending.

As we were standing on the shore; my husband getting his breath back we noticed the lifeguards calling for people to come back in. There were two young girls around my daughter's age swimming a bit far out. One was slowly making her way back in but the other just seemed to stay there. Seconds later two guards were out in the water. We didn’t even know why. She seemed like she was okay but the lifeguards knew better. They brought her to shore safely as she smiled.

I didn't like the waves yesterday and didn’t know why. They looked rough and it was filled with sediment.I'm a NYer so I'm used to the cold rough Atlantic waters but I was ignorant to rip currents. My husband and I discussed it this morning and he said calmly, "I think we were in a rip current yesterday." So I went onto the NWS and NOAA website and low and behold it was a moderate risk for rip currents yesterday and today. We had no idea! We had no idea, that was what the young girl was trapped in. Ughhhh… how ignorant we were. He saw yellow flags on the shore but didn't know what it meant. My husband and daughter actually selected to walk out into the ocean where the waves were low thinking it would be safer since they were calmer!! Now that I read the webinar with Dr. Dusek we are much more aware of the dangers of rip currents and know how to identify them. The calmer water surrounded by the rough waves was the rip current. I sent the webinar to all my friends and family I wanted to share this story with people so they too won’t be naïve when enjoying the ocean. Thank you for putting up this information!

My husband works for the military and after coming home from NTC, we wanted to enjoy family time with our two kids, so we decided to go to Panama City Beach, Florida. My husband took my 4 year old daughter out for a swim (with her life coast approved floaties) and they found themselves stuck in a rip current. They got pulled so far back my husband knew he and our daughter were in great danger. He asked a lady on a jet ski for help, and she literally said, "what you don't know how to swim!" And drove off. Thankfully my husband had a briefing that Friday and was taught to swim to the left or right of the rip current and, thank God, he was able to get himself and my daughter back to shore. I wish I had educated myself about the water danger before that incident happened, but now we know the danger of rip currents thanks to this Web page. And as for people who are capable of helping, even if it's just telling a lifeguard, please do.

I was staying at the outer banks NC (Nags head) with my whole family close to 30 of us. It was Sunday labor day weekend and most of us were down on the beach around 2 or 3. Nobody was in the water at the time and I seen that the waves were pretty big so I figure I go out catch a big one. I really wasn't too far out and I noticed all the waves were breaking behind me and I just couldn't catch any waves. Then I realized I was being taken out.

Now I'm an 18 year old guy bout 6 foot and I'm a decent swimmer but before I knew it the water was up to my head and I was starting to tread water. At first I thought I could just swim straight out of it then I realized the ocean was gonna win. I then tried to stay calm and I knew to not swim against it, but to swim parallel to the shoreline. By the time I swam parallel to the shore and eventually out of it, I was so exhausted and had swallowed a decent amount of water. I was very relieved when I finally caught a wave back in.

Nobody had seen me while I was out there and I could have easily have drowned also there were no life guards around me. I told everyone what had happened and they were glad I was OK and concerned about it.

My advice to anyone swimming in the ocean is to not swim alone, swim where lifeguards are on duty, and most importantly don't fight the rip current because you won't win.

One July day, my husband and I were in the ocean having a great time. When it was time to go in, I realized not only could I not touch the floor of the ocean but I could not swim to shore. I kept being pulled back out. Both of us are strong swimmers. Ny husband told me to lie on my back, which I did, but still could swim back in to shore. I was not frightened and had no idea why I could not get to shore. Then a lifeguard swam out! He told me the rip current was powerful and he swam out of rip current and pulled me in! Another lifeguard came to help my husband, who was fine. The lifeguard saw us as he was driving the four wheeler Rescue vehicle by. I cannot thank these guys enough. Neither of these wonderful lifeguards made us feel like idiots.

It was August 2011, and a tropical storm had just passed but was well out to Bermuda. I was body surfing with my boogie board on Figure Eight Island, NC, with some surfers. The waves weren't breaking much closer to shore, so I decided to paddle out to where the surfers were in head deep water. Finally, a wave came that the surfers caught and rode. I was out for several more minutes expecting the surfers to return where I was. Instead they stayed in much closer to shore. I then realized that I couldn't hear the waves anymore. There were also bubbles on the surface all around me, but they didn't seem to be moving. I realized I was caught in a rip current.

I could see my wife and the beach umbrella getting smaller and smaller on the shore. She was looking in my direction, but never saw me waving for help. I tried to swim with the boogie board at first, but if you've ever tried to do that you know that won't work. I kept it with me though using the side stroke to swim. I watched the weather channel NOAA warnings and knew what to do when caught in a rip current. My training kicked in and I remember to swim along the shore for a while and then make my way back to shore. I was so exhausted when I made it to shore that I dropped. Nobody on the beach noticed what happened. I kissed the ground.

It was a gorgeous day in the Outer Banks of North Carolina when a friend and I who were vacationing together decided to head out to the beach for some fun. We left our beach house and arrived at the beach shortly thereafter. The surf was unusually powerful that day but there were plenty of people in the water so we figured it would be safe to get in. We were wrong.

I grabbed my rainbow colored body board and she and I went into the somewhat chilly water. We went out about 100 feet from the shore where the water was slightly above waist deep. We were standing near a group of men but little by little they got further and further away from us without us realizing it. By this time, we were probably close to 300 feet out and we could no longer touch the bottom. I am 6 foot tall, mind you. That's when shear panic set in. We were being dragged out to sea. Meanwhile, giant waves were crashing over our heads, trying to pull us under. My friend was on my body board and I was treading water. We desperately tried swimming towards the shore but it was of no use...the current was just too strong. We quickly became exhausted and my friend was having a panic attack. I still had my wits somewhat about me. That's when I looked up to the heavens and calmly said these exact words in my mind: "God, please help us."

Moments later, a lifeguard (who was sitting about one and a half football fields away, mind you) came swimming up to us. He had a floatation device and had both my friend and I grab opposing sides. I don't remember being pulled back to shore. My next memory is me sitting on my beach towel and my friend shaking like a leaf and coughing up water as the lifeguard and a passerby helped her to calm down. I had never been more grateful to be on solid ground.

When I asked the lifeguard how he spotted us, he told us it was my brightly colored body board which I had bought the day before. It was the best $15 I ever spent. I thank God I am alive. If it hadn't been for that lifeguard, I don't think I would be here writing this story; I would've died instead. Needless to say, I didn't go swimming in the ocean for the remainder of our trip; I swam in the pool instead...where there are no rip currents!

We were at Sunset Beach in North Carolina. It was Memorial Day weekend of 2012. My 11 year old daughter and I decided to go to the beach for a couple of hours by ourselves. I grew up with a good bit of respect for the ocean and was well aware of rip tides. I've been caught in a couple in my lifetime, but was able to get out without too much difficulty. It was a hot day and it was very crowded. So to find a good spot we noticed that there weren't too many people near the pier and set up our umbrella.

We decided to take a swim to cool off. We were floating around when my daughter said that she couldn't touch the bottom anymore. I noticed that she was being pulled toward the pier! I reacted quickly and got underneath her and tried to push her back toward the shore but the tow kept pulling her back. I was not strong enough to do it on my own! I began to pray for strength. There was NO WAY that I was going to stop trying! We would both drown! Suddenly, a man appeared and asked if we were okay. I yelled "NO"; "CATCH HER!" Once again I pushed her with everything that I had left in me. Two more shoves and HE CAUGHT HER

I was able to drag myself out. I think I thanked that man, at least I hope that I did because I don't think that I would be telling this story if he had not shown up when he did. My daughter and I both collapsed on our towels and cried and held each other for what seemed an eternity. It took another hour of walking around the shops in order for me calm down enough to drive back to my parents house. We still love the beach. Now we're very aware that along with the beauty is a very real danger.

On Jun 21, 2011, I was playing in the surf at Nags Head, NC, with my two sons and my two nephews. We were enjoying crashing into the waves. Occasionally, I would dive under a wave and ride the next swell back into the beach. I remember diving under a wave and coming back up and thinking that the water had grown very calm. I looked over my shoulder and thought to myself that I was further out than what I felt comfortable with. I looked back to the sea, so I wouldn't get pounded by the next wave, and then back to the beach. In that short time I had been pulled further out to sea and I could see everyone on the beach getting smaller. I was scared but I did not panic. I waved my hands over my head and yelled for help. I knew I was still getting pulled out and that I would need help to survive. I looked up to God and asked for his help because I did not want to die. On the beach, the rest of my family got the kids out of the water and called 911. One of our friends donned a life vest and swam out to me. We floated back into the shore together and got back on dry ground at about that time the first responders arrived.

I am 45 years old and a good swimmer. During basic training in the Navy many years ago I learned how to float and how to tread water. I was fortunate on many levels that day, I did not panic and one of our friends happened to have life vest because he had brought his sea kayak to the beach. Our family was probably most fortunate because it was me who was pulled out to sea and not one of our kids. My advice to others is to swim in protected waters and to bring a couple of life vests down to the shore with you just in case you need them. You can purchase these for less than $20 each and had I known of the danger beforehand I would have had these with us.

I was caught in a rip current recently and lived thanks to NWS materials. We benefited from the Break the Grip of the Rip campaign and the materials put out by the Eena Project in the Outer Banks in a couple of ways. From the materials left in our beach house packet and the magnet on the fridge, I did remember that we needed to swim parallel to the shore--we had been teaching my nephews that earlier in the trip since they don't swim in the ocean that much. What really saved us was remembering the instruction to wave your arm to get help. I did that in a big way and know that was what brought people to us. I think the beaches where we were would have benefited from more signs like I've seen on other beaches.

I was at Wrightsville Beach, NC, 7 years ago (I think) and a hurricane was blowing up the coast. It was the day before they evacuated the beach because Cape Fear was in the path of a hurricane eye. The seas were higher than normal, but still very swimable. I grew up swimming in the ocean and am very comfortable in it. I know about rip currents and fortunately, had learned what to do if I ever got caught. One of my favorite past times in the ocean is diving under breakers and floating over swells. 

That afternoon, I dove under a wave as I have done countless times, but when I surfaced and looked back over my shoulder, I was way out from the shore. I knew immediately what had happened. I tried swimming parallel to the shore, but was still in a very strong current and began to tire quickly.

Then a wave broke over my head, and I felt the panic rising. I know that panic is one's worst enemy in the water, so I floated and treaded water for a few minutes to catch my breath and relax. I could see my family on the shore trying to spot me in the water, but the swells were too big for them to see me waving. Once when I looked out to sea to keep an eye on the swells so I wouldn't be caught unawares again, I realized that just a little further out, there were surfers.

Suddenly the light bulb went off in my head. Instead of trying to make it back to shore on my own, I turned and swam further out to where they were. I told them what had happened and asked if one of them would allow me to accompany him into shore using his board as a boogie board for both of us. Of course, one of them agreed.

It took both of us to get far enough away from the current so we could paddle back into shore. I feel very fortunate that I recognized what had happened, knew not to panic, and was able to find a solution.

Every kid who swims in the ocean should be taught this so you will have an endless supply of , not a list of death statistics. As for myself, I still love the ocean and swim in it every chance I get.

On August 8, 2011, my son Ryan and I went for one last swim at Garden City Beach, SC before heading back home. He was riding the waves in and I was just enjoying the cool water as it had been so hot. After being in the water for about 40 minutes I noticed all the waves had gone. About that time we could hear a woman yelling from shore for her son to “come back in, you’re too far out”. We turned our heads to see who she was yelling to and saw this 10 year old boy in distress. He had a Styrofoam boogie board next to him but didn’t realize it was there as he appeared to be panicking.

Ryan swam toward him and got to him after about his 3rd time going down. He was under water so Ryan went under and pushed him to the top. I arrived a few seconds later and grabbed the boy at which point he tried to climb on top of me. By this time the people on shore were gathering and, getting smaller. I can’t say for sure how far out we were but it had to be at least 75 to 100 yards. I had a hold of the boy and began swimming, to no avail, back to shore. I swam as hard as I could for what seemed like forever but was probably 5 to 7 minutes.

The lifeguards got to us just in time as I’m not sure how much longer I could have lasted. I’ve been caught in a couple of rip currents before but for whatever reason, I did not swim parallel to shore. I don’t think that little boy knew how to swim and was relying on his boogie board for safety. I’m happy to say we are all doing fine

My dad and I were boogie-boarding on a warm day in the Florida winter. With very few swimmers due to the colder water, there were no lifeguards with exception of a rescue-jeep that passed by infrequently. The only other swimmers in the area were two young children a bit closer to shore. Within an instant, my dad and I noticed we were much further out from shore than we had been all day and decided to head in pronto. As we were attempting to come ashore, we heard the two kids screaming for help. We went to help and managed to each get a kid on our board. Within seconds, my dad and the kid with him had already drifted quite further away from me and towards shore. I was able to somewhat calm the girl on my board by insisting we were floating with our heads above water and that her younger brother was safe, too, on my dad's board. Not knowing what to do, I made one attempt to swim hard straight in--it did little good. My next move was to head for the breaking waves and ride them in. Fortunately, a few minutes later, I waved down a surfer who came over and then helped guide us in and then went back to help my dad and the boy on his board. The boogie boards we had really saved us by enabling us to remain calm, knowing at least we were floating and could breathe. This allowed us to buy time to slowly make it in to shore and signal for help.

I've since learned how to better handle a rip current and take rip current signs far more seriously. My advice to other average swimmers is to have something with you that floats when swimming in unfamiliar waters and don't underestimate the potential dangers of the water. While my dad and I were not in a great situation ourselves, it was clear that the two children nearby urgently needed help and could easily have drowned. They were extremely panicked because they found themselves in water too difficult to swim in on their own.

Hi. My name is Bill Proenza and I am the Director for the Southern Region of the National Weather Service. My experience with rip currents is first hand. At the age of 11, I was swimming off the Florida Coast, near Key Biscayne, and found myself carried into deep water. I tried to swim toward shore but to no avail. After being pulled under the water once, I called for help. Fortunately, an experienced swimmer pulled me to safety. Following this event, I took lessons through the Red Cross swimming program. While the program helped me improve my swimming ability, it did not offer much insight on handling what we called "undertows" (rip currents). Nevertheless, the training did pay off two years later, when I had the chance to save a man who was trapped in a rip current, again off Florida's east coast. I noticed him struggling in the water and crying out for help. I swam behind him and managed to push him at an angle toward the shore. He told me he couldn't swim but found himself drawn into deeper and deeper water. It is my hope that you take these safety rules and the dangers of rip currents to heart. If you do so, your trips to the coast should be pleasant, enjoyable and safe for you, your family and friends.

My son, Joshua Scurlock, drowned while swimming with a friend near Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. He was 19 years old. His friend helplessly watched him drown after the exhaustion of fighting the current to save his own life. I tell him every chance I get, that he did the right thing staying on the beach and getting help. Of course, he feels extremely guilty for not going back in the water to save him, something he could not physically do. Instead he did the best thing possible, yell for help.

An experienced surfer was just coming in for the day because the waves were so rough and risked his own life to try rescue my son. It took everything within him to pull his body up onto his surfboard and maneuver his way back up to shore. When they reached the beach, he began CPR; however, it was only seconds before paramedics arrived. I don't really know how long my son was in the water but I can imagine the difficulty the surfer experienced while fighting the current to reach him. He had already drowned when he reached his lifeless body. I thank God every day for that surfer. He brought my son's body back to me. He could have been washed out to sea and I would not have had the chance to bring him home for a proper burial.

Josh grew up in Indiana and we frequently visited Florida, as many other Hoosiers do. I moved Josh to his "paradise" apartment in Cape Canaveral, FL, on September 1, 2004. Josh died November 13, 2004. He was fulfilling his dream, living five blocks from the beach, appreciating the beauty of the ocean every day. He loved the water and he was a great swimmer. Unfortunately, living far from the ocean, he was never taught about rip currents.

I'm now trying to raise rip current awareness in my state so that no one else loses their life. I'm told over half of the deaths from rip currents are people from the Midwest. This is all the more reason to raise awareness. Everyone should know how to escape from a rip current. We teach our children what to do if caught in a tornado because we see a lot of them in the state of Indiana. Why do we not teach them about rip currents? Is it because we don't have any water here? I don't know the answer but I'm doing everything in my power to change it. If you talk to people here, they don't even know what a rip current is, much less how to save their own life if caught in one. I'm starting with the high schools around spring break time. It's the perfect opportunity to help spread awareness. All of the kids flock to the beaches during vacation. They all relate to my son's story and realize that this can happen to them. My goal is to reach the entire Midwest through our school systems.

John Lane, the heroic surfer who risked his life to bring me my son's body, gave me the gift of being able to tell my son good-bye and kiss one last time. Tell everyone you know about rip currents and their potential dangers of taking a life. Help me in raising awareness, no matter where you live. I hope no one else has to say that kind of goodbye.

August 23, 1998, 24-year-old Michael drowned while swimming at Rehoboth Beach, DE. Michael was an active member of Boy Scout Troop 495, based at Lutheran Church of St. Andrew. Michael earned his Eagle Scout three weeks before he drowned.

After graduating from Einstein High School in 1992, he volunteered as a White House intern. He and his father loved to travel. Michael loved the beach. The weekend Michael drowned, the Johnson's were on a beach camping trip at Rehoboth Beach, DE. Rip currents developed suddenly placing several people in peril. Michael was swept away. His body washed ashore two and a half blocks from where he disappeared.

In honor of their son's memory and to help prevent what happen to their son from happening to others, Carl and Susan Johnson work closely with the Boy Scouts and the Dewey Beach Patrol educating the Scouts in water safety and rescue techniques.

NWS notes that while we celebrate teaching live saving skills and heroic actions, even adults who are strong swimmers have died trying to save rip currents victims. Always swim on a beach with a life guard and let the life guard perform the rescue. When not on a protected beach, yell out to the person caught in the rip to swim parellel to the shore. Do NOT attempt a rescue if you are not a trained life guard.

Last year, on July 17, Justyna Harrington and her family were at the beach in Sea Bright NJ, and the rip current caught her 9 year daughter Gabi. Gabi and her brother Kam are good swimmers but Gabi panicked and was fighting the current. Kam grabbed his boogie board and swam out to her, for roughly 30 yards, and brought her back to the beach. Kam was 6 years old at the time.

For this act of bravery and selflessness, Kam, a Cub Scout in Pack 261, has recently been awarded the BSA Medal of Heroism. The Heroism Award is awarded to a youth member or adult leader who has demonstrated heroism and skill in saving or attempting to save life at minimum risk to self. First awarded in 1923, only 121 of these awards have been given in 2011. We are pretty sure that Kam is one of the youngest Scouts to receive this award.

As I am writing this, I am laying awake in bed, thanking God for saving me, my 11 year old son, and my fiance from drowning this afternoon. It was a beautiful, sunny day today and being that we live 2 blocks from the beach, we decided to take advantage of such a lovely afternoon.

Around 4 pm, we took a walk down to the beach and went into the water. My son had his boogie board, and he and my fiance were going in search of some nice waves to ride. I noticed quickly that the waves were pulling me down beach and away from the lifeguard stand fairly quickly. I kept telling my son to walk back toward the lifeguard stand so that they would be able to keep an eye on him. We all made it back in view of the lifeguard stand.

Not feeling in danger, we continued swimming and began swimming straight out into the ocean. We were all together when I noticed that we were at the end of the fishing pier, which is pretty far out. I mentioned this to my fiance and then realized that my feet were no longer touching the ocean floor. My fiance then said to me "I am being pulled backwards." That is when panic set in. I tried my hardest to swim away from the current but it was too strong. Waves started crashing over me and I couldn't catch my breath. Just then a wave came and my fiance pushed my son who was on his boogie board towards me. I grabbed the board and was going to try to flag down the lifeguard when, just then, my feet were able to touch the ocean floor.

We were stuck out in the current for only about 7 minutes but it felt like an eternity. I just kept thinking "Oh my God, I might die right now." We were exhausted and pushed about a half a block away from where we started from. Thankfully, we all made it out okay but it scared me to death. I can't even sleep tonight and am not sure whether or not I will be going into the ocean anytime soon. I told the lifeguard how bad the current was, and he said he was milliseconds away from jumping in to rescue us.

Unfortunately, in our town, we do not have flags that let us know about the currents. I am not sure if we have rip current signs posted anywhere, however I would love to find out how we can get that information out there. I am 36 years old and a pretty good swimmer, but today was the scariest day of my life and reminded me to respect the ocean. When we got home I had my son watch your video on how to swim out of rip currents. Thank you for all you do in raising awareness on such an important topic.

It was early fall of 2002 and my husband and I were down for a weekend at Gulfshores, Alabama with my sister and her boyfriend. It was our first afternoon there and I had seen how bad the tides were and decided not to go in the water; however my sister had another idea when she arrived. Without a care in the world and no regard to the wave action, she plunges in and took her boyfriend with her. Upon my realization she was in the water, I got to the beach in time to see her floating out and her boyfriend trying to make it to shore. I jumped in to swim out to my sister and before long, I felt the rip tide. There was no bottom left to the sea floor.

I had been in about 4 1/2 feet of water when this happened. I tried in vain to reach for my sister, who was struggling to swim towards the beach. I myself was stuck and could not swim inward. My husband pulled me from the tide and upon getting to shore, I ran for more help. It took 4 very strong young men to pull my sister in. I have never experienced something so terrifying in my life and even though I knew to swim sideways and out of the trap, my fear of drowning and of my sister drowning displaced all knowledge. I believe my sister has a healthy respect now for the water and as for me, I have never been back in. Just for the record, we are both in our early 40's and both know how to swim. This can happen to anyone and your best chance of survival is to be aware of the dangers present!