Bodyboarding Ottery bride rescued from sea
Jennifer Grant after her rescue by the RNLI and coastguard crews - Credit: Archant
A new bride from Ottery St Mary had to be rescued from crashing waves and a strong current when she got into trouble surfing - just a day after getting married.
Warren and Jennifer Grant - Credit: Archant
Jennifer Grant was enjoying a post-wedding bodyboard with her husband, Warren, when they got swept out off Porth Beach in Cornwall on Sunday afternoon.
Mrs Grant, nee Clarke, was left clinging to a rock in the rising tide, while two RNLI lifeboats and a coastguard crew battled to save her.
Dental nurse Jennifer, 30, and husband Warren, 41, a production manager, married at the Sands Hotel the previous day and decided to take advantage of the bodyboarding facilities at the beach with friends Mitch Seward and Scott Ward before they went home. They were in the sea for around 45 minutes before they got caught in a rip current.
“The sea wasn’t rough – it was a little choppy when we went in,” said Jennifer.
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“Then Warren got caught in a rip and dragged towards rocks.”
She watched him climb on the rock and then realised she and Mitch were going towards it, too. Mitch made it back to shore, but Jennifer was left stranded on the rock, a little cut up, with the tide coming in.
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“I was terrified, but Warren had always told me not to panic,” she said.
“All of a sudden, I heard a helicopter and thought it was coming to me, but it flew over and kept going – it turned out there was another rescue going on nearby.
“Then I saw the rescue boat arriving and a lifeguard jumped in with a lifejacket.
“He led me down to the boat which was struggling against the waves and told me to jump. It was so scary.
“I managed to jump, but I landed badly on the boat – thankfully, the crew managed to catch me and haul me in.
“We were just so lucky - it could have been so much worse.
“It was definitely a strange day after such a special, perfect wedding.”
She paid tribute to the rescue crews for saving her.
The newlyweds are jetting off to Egypt next week for their honeymoon.
