Bungling lifeguards fall out of their boat as they scramble to rescue ‘drowning’ swimmer – and he makes it back to dry land before them
- The comical scene took place at a beach in the resort city of Sochi in Russia
- The lifeguards repeatedly fall into the sea as onlookers laugh
- ‘Drowning’ man reportedly a professional swimmer who returned safely to shore
This is the moment a pair of hapless lifeguards repeatedly fall out of their boat as they rush to save a man who turned out to be a professional swimmer.
The comical scene took place at the Riviera beach in the resort city of Sochi in the western Russian region of Krasnodar Krai when the lifeguards reportedly spotted a man at risk of drowning in the Black Sea.
According to local media, the man they were trying to rescue from the sea was actually a professional swimmer who managed to return to the shore by himself before the lifeguards reached dry land.
The comical scene took place at the Riviera beach in the resort city of Sochi in the western Russian region of Krasnodar Krai when the lifeguards reportedly spotted a man at risk of drowning in the Black Sea.
In the clip, the lifeguards rush into the sea with a rowing boat as a life ring is thrown onboard by helpers on the shore.
The first lifeguard jumps in as the second pushes the boat out to sea.
When he comes to try and clamber in, he flops onto his stomach, causing the vessel to keel over onto its side as his colleague falls into the water.
The other lifeguard then jumps in again but the boat turns onto its side once more sending both men into the water as onlookers laugh at the bungling pair.
The soaked lifeguard climbs back into the boat clumsily and tips it over, throwing them into the water
The bungling pair didn’t seem able to stay in the boat and the professional swimmer, who they reportedly were trying to save, managed to return to the shore by himself before the lifeguards reached dry land
The lifeguards attempt their rescue but their efforts were unsuccessful from the start
They hold onto the boat as the clip ends.
One witness told local media: ‘I don’t know, maybe they used to be loaders [manual workers]. They failed at every point they could. They could not even find the life ring at the beginning.’
Another witness said: ‘Another lifeguard took a paddle and ran screaming ‘I’ll find that swimmer and kill him.’
It is unclear if the swimmer required medical attention or if the lifeguards faced any reprimands for the incident.