On his way back from Siquijor in a Roro last Sunday, Martin was sitting in his car when the "Man Overboard" siren wailed. Jumping up to see what happened, the crew was scurrying about clueless what to do as a local woman thrashes in the wake, quickly being left behind. She had fallen off the upper deck somehow. As an accomplished swimmer he quickly dove in. Being 6'7" helped him cover the now 100 meters, and rapidly growing, back to her In just a few minutes. As he swam he saw her head sinking out of sight, then surfacing, over and over. When he made it to her she was unconscious and floating face down. Thinking fast he bear hugged" her and squeezed, but it took three hugs before she finally gagged and took a breath. He began to swim back pulling her, the adrenalin giving him extra strength. This was not a small Pinay. Finally the ferry had completed its U-turn back to the scene, and someone threw him a float ring. Together they were pulled back onboard, to the cheers of everyone. Its men like this that make us foreigners less like grumpy old men. The next time you see him, buy him a beer!
Amazing story, certainly a courageous guy. Someone from the crew should have been the first into the water, are they not trained for man overboard rescue?
