Heroic Derry teens honoured for bravery

Two young Derry women, who saved two teenagers from drowning, have been honoured for their heroic act of bravery.

Rebecca Ebbs and Zara Reid each received a prestigious Water Safety Ireland Seiko Just In Time award at a ceremony in Dublin Castle on Tuesday evening.

The pair saved two girls who had gotten into difficulty in the water and were in danger of drowning at Buncrana Shorefront back in May.

St Mary’s College student Rebecca (18) and her pal Zara (18), who attends Lisneal College, were presented with their certificates and a watch by Clare McGrath, the Chairwoman of Water Safety Ireland, and Thomas Byrne TD, Minister of State at the Department of Education.

Speaking to Derry Now, Rebecca, who is from Brookdale in the city, said she and Zara had been sunbathing on the beach and had then decided to go for a walk when they heard screaming and a woman shouting there was somebody drowning in the water.

“The woman asked me if I could swim,” said Rebecca, “so I dropped everything and swam out into the water. I put the first girl on my back and swam in with her. Zara then got her and took her to the shore.

“I then went back out and brought the second girl in, on my back again, and handed her to Zara. Thank God we were able to save them.They were really panicking. You know when you go out in the water and suddenly there is just a big drop, that is what happened and they couldn’t swim.  

“The guards arrived as we got the two girls onto the beach. They told me if it had been two or three minutes later, the outcome would have been tragic. They said the girls [who are also from Derry] might have lost their lives if we hadn’t gone out,” said Rebecca, who added that she was embarrassed with all the attention on Tuesday night.

Rebecca’s mother Catherine, said the mother of one of the saved girls rang her the next day to thank Rebecca. “She told me I should be very proud of my daughter, which I definitely am.”

Recalling the dramatic events of the day, Zara said: “I heard screaming and I was looking around to see where it was coming from. Then I saw heads bobbing in and out of the water.

“I said to Rebecca, ‘Can you see those wee girls? Are they drowning?’ There was one girl who was closer to the shore and another who was further out.

“I threw my phone to one of the women on the beach so she could ring the Garda. She had noticed them drowning as well. In the meantime, Rebecca had swum in to get the first girl and once I gave my phone to the woman on the beach, I ran in then to get the second girl. I don’t think I was thinking about what we were doing. I was just full of adrenalin to get the two girls out of the water.”

When the girls were brought to shore, Zara described their breathing as shallow.

“As soon as we got them out, the guards had just arrived,” she said. “The two girls were taken immediately to Letterkenny Hospital to rule out secondary drowning.”

Zara, who is from Drumahoe, said she had felt proud of Rebecca and herself when they were given their awards. She was accompanied to the ceremony by her proud mammy, Sharon, and daddy, Scott.

Unbelievably, Zara said she had forgotten about the rescue until she and Rebecca were nominated for their awards. The modest Year 14 said Lisneal College had wanted to acknowledge her achievement on social media but she was reluctant because she didn’t want a fuss.

Rebecca and Zara were nominated for their Water Safety Ireland Seiko Just In Time awards by An Garda Síochána.