A MAN who almost drowned in the Forth after a picnic on Cramond Island today insisted he had not been making a drunken attempt to swim to shore.
David Gardiner, 26, spent two hours in the freezing waters, drifting in and out of consciousness before finally being rescued.
Rescuers hit out at Mr Gardiner and his flatmate Natasha Cameron saying it had been a "foolhardy" attempt to swim to sho
re after the tide came in.
But Mr Gardiner today insisted he had actually fallen into the water on Sunday evening after losing his footing as he made his way along the causeway.
He told how he owed his life to Ms Cameron who dived in after him and the rescue crews who pulled him to safety.
After falling into the water, the weak swimmer was immediately pulled down by the weight of his backpack – which contained clothes and empty bottles – and was dragged further into the sea by the strong current.
He told how Ms Cameron, 20, jumped in to try and save him, but she could not pull him to safety.
Ms Cameron managed to raise the alarm after attracting the attention of the local volunteer rescue team, who said the pair would probably have died if they had not been seen.
Call centre worker Mr Gardiner, from Royston Mains, said: "I was exhausted from trying to swim against the tide.
"It was really terrifying. At first it was panic when I saw how quickly I was being pulled back.
"I was also cold at first, then I didn't feel it at all due to my hypothermia.
"I was oblivious to what was happening. They (the life guards) said I was unconscious when they tried to get me out."
He added: "If it wasn't for Natasha, I wouldn't be here."
Mr Gardiner said he and Ms Cameron had been drinking during their picnic. However, he denies that the pair had decided to swim to shore.
He said: "We had no intention of swimming back. I have been going there since I was about five years old – I know the risks.
"We were waiting on the tide going out so we could walk along the path. I slipped off the path and fell into the water."
After being rescued by the Queensferry Lifeboat, the pair were rushed to hospital where Mr Gardiner was treated for shock and hypothermia.
Mr Gardiner added: "I would like to say a huge thank you to the RNLI. I can't remember a lot about what happened but I'm just so grateful to them.
"I'm fine now – just cut and sore and massively embarrassed."
Coastguards have urged people to pay attention to crossing times and warned that the "sea and alcohol do not mix".
The full article contains 468 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
