A tragedy was narrowly avoided on Thursday afternoon (July 25) at Kavouri, Katakolo, when a three-year-old girl was pulled unconscious from the sea. The quick action of the beach lifeguard was crucial—he managed to bring the child back to life.

Around 6 p.m., beachgoers noticed the little girl’s body floating motionless about 30 meters from shore. The girl’s grandmother, who was with her on the beach, was the first to spot her in the water and immediately went into shock, calling for help.

The 24-year-old lifeguard, Giorgos Nikolopoulos, a member of the “Tyrnavos Lifeguard Association – POSEIDON,” rushed to the scene. He pulled the girl from the water and started intensive resuscitation efforts. After a few minutes, the girl regained consciousness, bringing relief to everyone on the beach and her family.

Speaking to iliaenimerosi, Giorgos described how he saved the girl’s life:
“I just did my job, what I’ve been trained to do. I ran over, took the child in my arms. She was unconscious and at that moment, while still in the water, I couldn’t tell if she had a pulse. I got out of the sea with her in my arms, laid her on the beach, and started hitting her back and doing abdominal compressions. I checked for a pulse—it wasn’t there. I started CPR for about a minute. After the first compressions, the child started to bring up fluids and foam from her mouth and nose, like she was beginning to breathe. I kept going more intensely until I detected a pulse. She had started breathing again, she was back. I gave her oxygen, and the ambulance crew, which had arrived meanwhile, took her to Pyrgos hospital.”

He added, “At that moment, I wasn’t thinking about anything else but getting the child back. I simply did what I had learned, what we practice before our exams. The process went as it was supposed to, and fortunately, the ambulance came very quickly.”

Asked if he feels like a hero for saving a 3-year-old’s life, Giorgos (who has been a lifeguard for two years and is also a wrestling athlete) said:
“No, I don’t think like that. It’s very important that the child recovered. I happened to be there, but I’m sure my colleagues would have done everything necessary to save a person too. I believe lifeguards are essential on crowded beaches and elsewhere. I keep thinking this happened just 2-3 minutes before my shift ended. What would have happened if it was 20 minutes later and I had left the beach? Thankfully, everything went well.”