Joanna Hicks, who almost drowned after being caught in a rip current whilst swimming off Newgale, has returned two years on to the beach to be reunited with her lifesaver RNLI lifeguard Matty McLeod, and members of the air ambulance crew who helped save her life.

On July 29, 2023, Joanna Hicks was out swimming with her friend at Newgale beach in Pembrokeshire when sea conditions rapidly changed and she almost lost her life.

Joanna and her friend Phillipa found themselves out of their depth and in choppy water. Phillipa was able to get back to the beach but Joanna was dragged out to sea by the rip current.

The incident occurred before 10am so Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeguards hadn’t started their patrols, Phillipa called 999 and asked for the Coastguard which launched the charity’s lifeboats from Little and Broad Haven and St Davids.

RNLI lifeguard Matty McLeod was at home preparing for his patrols on the beach that day when he became aware of the situation. He immediately left home and headed to the beach, once there he grabbed his rescue board and made his way through the surf and swell to find Joanna.

“She was face down in the water,” recalls Matty. “I jumped off the board and rolled her over. She was blue and unresponsive. I had to keep her airway open.”

The conditions at this point were too dangerous for RNLI lifeboat to pick them up so Matty dragged Joanna through the water to the shore, when the battle to bring her back to life began.

Matty said: “An on-call nurse on the beach helped me giving Joanna CPR. I was shattered from bringing her in and was trying to catch my breath, so this was a massive help. Then the paramedics arrived and took over from us.”

Joining the effort of the RNLI lifeguard team were Coastguard rescue teams, a Cymru High Acuity Response Unit, the Wales Air Ambulance and a rescue helicopter from the Coast Guard.

The Wales Air Ambulance took over Joanna's care and delivered pre-hospital interventions on the beach, which included taking over her breathing through administering an anaesthetic and placing her on a ventilator.

Matty held Joanna's hand whilst the medics stabilised and transferred her into the air ambulance, he remembers thinking, “We’ve done all we can.” But it didn’t look good.

Joanna was cared for by the medical team at Carmarthen and Glangwili Hospital. She spent 10 days in an induced coma until regaining consciousness, over the following months at a rehabilitation centre she went on to make a full recovery.

Joanna said:

“The hospital told me it was miracle that I survived – that I should have died. But I woke up. If it was not for the quick reactions and incredible skill and professionalism of the RNLI lifeguards and lifeboat crews, I would not be here today.”

RNLI lifeguards are highly trained to be able to deliver first aid and water rescue when someone is in need. However, RNLI lifeguards are not on every beach and their patrols are between 10am-6pm so they cannot be everywhere, all the time.

Chris Cousens, RNLI Water Safety Lead for Wales, said:

“As a charity we are here to save lives at sea, Matty's actions on Newgale beach did exactly that. He showed the skills he has learnt as a lifeguard to rescue Joanna and save her life.

“However, RNLI lifeguards can't be everywhere, all of the time. As we approach the peak summer season, we are reminding the public to follow our safety advice, so they can enjoy their visit to the coast.”

The charity’s advice for anyone visiting the coast this summer is to: