The Waterfall Rescue

Learning to swim and about water safety has always been a priority for me as a mother. Growing up in Florida, where there is a pool in every back yard, a canal around every corner and a beach known for strong under currents, being a strong swimmer is just part of who I was.  I vaguely remember taking a swim lesson but truthfully, I learned to swim because I was in the water everyday.  


My children are not as fortunate to live surrounded by water but both of them are becoming avid swimmers. Eph learned to swim independently two summers ago and he has taken multiple lessons.  Unfortunately, he has zero fear of the water and that became overly apparent yesterday as he not once, but twice scared the death out of me (and a stranger) as he attempted to swim to the other side of the waterfall at Old Man’s Cave. 


We had hiked with another family to the lower falls and because of the massive amounts of rain, the falls and pools surrounding the falls were very full. Because you need to have shoes on, you can walk about waste deep towards the waterfall and then it drops off.  The other mother that we were with had just asked me if Eph was a good swimmer to which I had replied, “Yes, he is very good.” when I noticed that he was swimming the the deep area.


It wasn’t about a breath later that I saw my little blond boy struggling in the water. I could tell that he was having a hard time but he also was making progress and it was only a couple of more paddles until he would be where he could stand. I was watching Eph, trying to get my husbands attention (who was in the backside of the falls with the baby) when I noticed that a young man had also noticed Eph struggling. I was trying to decided if I should go after him or not, when the man jumped in and swam to Eph just has he had made it to the floor ledge. I waved and thanked the man for helping. 


Eph was quite surprised being pulled up and checked on by a stranger but he thought nothing of it and began to play in the water. He was obviously not nearly as alarmed as we (the stranger and I) because about 5 minutes later (after having caught his breath), he once again began the trek under the falls.  Apparently, a near death experience was not enough to make him think twice about accomplishing the task. 


I tried not to panic, looked around for someone to help and tried to figure out what my best method of rescue was going to be.  He really was swimming fine but the force of the waterfall kept pushing him under. I held my breath. He struggled a bit more and he climbed out on the other side of the waterfall. The whole incident lasted about 2 minutes – if that.


You should have seen his face. He was so obviously scared.  He came running around the back side of the cliff and he was pale and shaking.  As close to tears as he was going to let himself get with people watching.  He ran to me and buried his head into my body.  He stood for a long time just settling down and getting his balance again. Finally, he said, “I don’t want to do that again.”


It was only about a minute later that we was back to playing with his friends in the shallow areas but I have no doubt that a fear of water has been impressed upon him.


In the moment I didn’t feel any significant panic.  I was actually a bit proud of him but when I woke up at 2:00am last night in a panic from a bad dream in which he had really drowned, I realized that his waterfall experience had really scared me. I know now that I need to keep a closer eye on my fearless child when we are near water. I also know that it is very important to have a serious discussion about water safety and set clear rules for future outings. 


I am so blessed that he is fine and that his waterfall rescue was not more serious. I have also learned my own valuable lesson about my child and his fearlessness.