Exclusive:'I nearly drowned in terrifying Sheffield reservoir incident - this is what saved my life'
Woman, grateful to still be alive, warns of hidden dangers after paddleboarding incident
A keen paddleboarder has told how she nearly died after her trip with friends to a Sheffield reservoir went terrifyingly wrong.
Ashley Swarek had gone out with fellow enthusiasts to Underbank Reservoir near Stocksbridge, on a scorching afternoon. She had her friends have all been on special safety courses for paddleboarders.
But she had to be rescued after going under amnd getting stuck in thick mud on the lake bed, despite all the safety equipment she was using.
Her rescuers believe she was under the water for a full three minutes.
She said: “I feel if I had not been with the friends I was with, this could have been a different outcome. And the other outcome would have been death.”
They went into the water with lifesaving equipment including lifejackets and safety leashes.
But when Ashley fell into the water, disaster struck.
Unknown to the group, the dropped water levels, following months of dry weather, meant she landed in thick mud at the bottom of the reservoir. And the mud acted like quicksand, sucking her back into the lake bed.
The grip of the mud was so strong, not event the buoyancy of her life jacket could bring her back to the surface.
Her horrified friends rushed to help - following the cord that she was wearing attached to her board to find exactly where she was.
They still struggled to pull her clear, but eventually, pulling her by the straps of the jacket, pulled her free from the mud and out of the water.
Ashley, aged 39, from Scawsby, in Doncaster, was given immediate CPR by her friends - all of whom are, like her, qualified firefighters.
She was then taken away, unconscious, by ambulance.
it was three days before she came round, in Doncaster Royal Infirmary. She was kept in hospital for nine days.
Ashley said the incident on Wedesday, August 19, highlighted the potentially hidden dangers of paddleboarding and entering the water at reservoirs - even for people who take sensible safety precautions.
She is sharing her story both to raise awareness of the dangers of soft mud around reservoirs and to thank the friends who acted quickly when she got into difficulty. She hopes her experience may prevent another family from going through the same ordeal.
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She said: “My main message is to recommend people wear safety equipment and don't go alone. And ideally seek lessons for rescue techniques.”
“I feel if I had not been with the friends I was with, this could have been a different outcome. And the other outcome would have been death.
“I think the soft mud is always there. But the water was lower than usual.
“I don’think I can thank my friends enough - I owe my life to them. I’m grateful that we all had taken paddleboarding lessons and knew how to react.
“They are the reason I am here today.”
Ashley's mobile phone was also lost in the reservoir during the incident and has not yet been recovered.
If anyone comes across the pink Google Pixel 9 Pro phone she says the finder can use the emergency contact on screen so it can be recovered.