by Young Charles “Dale” Ostrander was caught out in the waves of the Pacific Ocean by a rip tide, and if it weren’t for Nicole Kissel (another 12 year old), he may not be alive today.
After hearing Dale’s call for help Friday, Nicole immediately turned her boogie board toward deeper waters despite the objections of her father, who shouted over the crashing waves about the dangerous conditions. Nicole managed to reach Dale, who was struggling to stay afloat, and helped him onto the three-foot board. Together, the two youths struggled against the rip current that had turned an average day at a popular beach into chaos.
“When we were on that board, I kind of shouted out to myself: ‘We’re going to die. I can’t die like this,'” Nicole recalled.
Dale, meanwhile, had offered words of assurance: “Keep paddling. We’re almost there.” [Girl put life on line to save Wash. state boy]
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t make it to shore until some volunteer water rescuers made it to their location because they were hit with a big wave and Nicole had lost sight of Dale.
Dale was lifeless when brought to shore, but the rescuers performed CPR all the way to the hospital, and his blood started moving again. He’ll need physical and speech therapy, and it’s unclear as to whether he will fully recover, but many of the people there say that he would not believe alive today were it not for Nicole.
