Clip description
The lifeguards are euphoric. Thanks to their skill and quick action, they’ve managed to bring a young man back to life who was found face down in the water and clinically dead.
Curator’s notes
The debriefing is part of the lifeguards’ ritual after a life-threatening event. They need to talk about how things were handled in order to work out whether anything could have been managed better. In this case, the outcome was terrific. At another time, the young Japanese student might not have been so lucky.
The following week we learn that after the Japanese student is taken by ambulance to the hospital, some of the lifeguards visit him there. We discover that he has a congenital heart problem and he’ll have to have special treatment to prevent a reoccurrence of his heart failure.
An ambulance drives away from the beach, sirens blazing. Inside, the lifeguards are debriefing after resuscitating a young Japanese tourist on the beach.
Narrator Taka’s being rushed to hospital after lifeguards brought him back from death. Hoppo’s conducted scores of resuscitations, but Taka’s ranks as one of the most dramatic.
Lifeguard Three shocks is a fair bit, eh.
Hoppo Three shocks is a fair bit. Pretty much if that third shock didn’t work, it would have been starting to get out to that time where we’re really going to start pushing to get him back. It came back really strong real quick, the pulse, and usually that’s a good sign.
Lifeguard Yep.
Hoppo is interviewed later over footage of the rescue.
Hoppo A dead look is a real weird sort of look. You know they’re basically dead when you see them. And to actually know, when you feel, that you can’t feel a pulse, and watch the defib shock them, and then actually get them back breathing, and with a pulse, it’s an amazing feeling that you probably can’t really describe in words, about how you really feel. I know the guys, after we do it, we have a debrief and the buzz around that, you know, you’ve just revived somebody, is absolutely amazing.
Nathan and Whippet are talking on the balcony overlooking the beach.
Narrator Younger lifeguards Nathan and Whippet are still coming to grips with what happened.
Nathan How lucky was it that we were doing that photo shoot thing, and to have Hoppo down there and…
Whippet Everyone was on it straightaway. It was good.
Nathan Five of us in the first five seconds is good. Hoppo and (inaudible) were sick but, though. It was good.
Whippet He was talking and everything when you got him on the bike, eh.
Nathan Mm’hm.
Whippet That’s unreal. That’s great.
Nathan Seeing the shock when it shocks them, when they do that move, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen it.
Whippet That’s the first time I’ve seen a big shock like that.
Nathan After two shocks he got a pulse again, I think, and then it went again, so they, and the third one and that snapped him back kind of quick.
Whippet What did he say when he come to?
Nathan I think he said sorry, eh.
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