A waitress at Chiringuito Marina Playa came to the rescue of a Swedish woman in danger of drowning yesterday, the 21st of September.

It was nine in the morning when 68-year-old Christine Stigring dived from the deck of her yacht which was anchored in the bay in front of the Marina del Este beach. On board was her husband, Bjorn Persson – the retired couple had sailed down from Gothenborg.

Christine was not simply taking a morning dip because she was wearing a wetsuit and goggles. After a few minutes of swimming she  blacked out (lipotimia). Her husband at first thought that as she was floating face down in the water that she was simply observing the bottom but then he realised that she was not moving her arms or legs.

Her distance from the yacht was about 100 metres in the direction of the beach and he knew that he could not get to her in time as he had no dingy and to swim that distance would take too long. He did the only thing possible and shouted at the top of his lungs; “Help! My wife is drowning.”

Luckily, waitress Julia Moreno heard as she was outside the chiringuito setting up the tables for the day. She dived into the water and soon reached Christine, who had gone blue in the face. Julia dragged her out onto the sand and commenced resuscitation procedure. After moments of mouth-to-mouth Christine coughed back into life.

Christine was doubly lucky; first of all because that there was somebody at the chiringuito, outside within earshot and who heard her husband desperate pleas, and secondly because Julia has run her own aerobic gymnasium in Almuñécar, until the crisis devoured it, where having first-aid knowledge was essential.

As soon as Christine was released from hospital 24 hours later, she went straight around to the chringuito to thank Julia in person… carrying a bunch of roses in gratitude. A Friendship was established and promises made of meeting up again next time the Swedish couple sailed this way.

(News: Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)