A two-piece ocean survival suit is no match against Mother Nature in January, but willpower and good Samaritans are.
Sunday morning didn't exactly go the way Dave Sanford hoped it would, but ended the way everyone prayed it should.
Sanford, a Roberts Creek resident of 15 years, went out to collect his crab traps off Henderson Beach in his eight-foot dinghy. Being a responsible fisherman, he asked his daughter's boyfriend, Tim Niebergall, to be his shore person.
It turned out to be a pretty smart decision.
"He went out early in the morning. The wind started to pick up, but he was OK at that point," recalled Dave's wife Dianne.As Dave pulled the trap up, he decided it would be best to unload and sort through his catch on the beach as the weather was getting worse.
However, as he was attempting to move the trap to the front of the boat, a wave hit Dave broadside and threw him into the frigid waters.
"I saw him flip over and I saw him try to get the boat upright," said Niebergall. "I started to walk the beach looking for anyone who could help us. I saw a lady looking through the window and told her that we needed help."
The woman, whose name is unknown, got her husband Tim to help.
"Tim had a 12-foot boat, and Niebergall and Tim went out after my husband," said Dianne.
"There was another person on the point who called Coast Guard, RCMP and paramedics and another man in a canoe, but unfortunately that couldn't really help us too much," Niebergall added.
The pair of Tims finally reached Dave, who couldn't feel anything below his waist and was border-line unconscious.
"I saw the look in his eyes, and I knew he wasn't in his normal state of mind," Niebergall said.
The rescuers got Dave onto shore and quickly got him into a warm shower and made tea in an effort to increase his body temperature.
"When the paramedics reached Dave, his body temperature was 33 degrees, which is really low, and that was after a shower and a warm cup of tea," Dianne said.
The Gibsons Coast Guard arrived 20 minutes after being called, as did paramedics and Sunshine Coast RCMP.
Dave was taken to the hospital to increase his core temperature and was released shortly after.
"I was just praying to God that everything would work out OK, and I thank him every day that it did," Niebergall said. "I am just so thankful for everyone who helped my husband. It could have turned out much worse, but thanks to everyone who came to his aid, he's OK," Dianne said.
