The man on this occasion was very lucky on a number of counts.

When he dived into the river the tide was low and, at the location he chose, depths can be as little as one metre. And the bottom is hard. He could have killed himself.

Secondly, waters around our coasts do not reach their warmest temperatures until October and, with fresh river water included in the mix, the Nene in Wisbech is unlikely to be warmer than 6 deg C in July.

Cold shock when a body is suddenly cooled in this way can leave a person struggling for breath, with the result that water is inhaled, not air.

Third, we as a Harbour Authority do not have a duty of search and rescue. We merely do our best in support of other agencies when we can.

This time we were available and were able to get to the casualty within 10 minutes. When we reached him he was already showing signs of hypothermia.

Since I have been Harbour Master, I have dealt with eight such incidents. Only two have lived to tell the tale.

The river in Wisbech, indeed any river or open water, needs to be taken seriously and, statistically, the stereotypical drowning victim is male, young and fit. Until they hit the water that is.

PETER HARVEY,
Harbour Master,
Port of Wisbech Authority,
part of Fenland District Council.