A free diver nearly drowned when he dived nearly 40ft underwater to pick scallops for his lunch and got into difficulties
Student Jamie Nathaniel, 25, was trying to collect the shellfish for a barbecue with friends Hannah McVicar, Julie Volland, Patricia Martinez Mulas and Haleh Mawson after lectures.
A regular free diver - when people plunge deep underwater without oxygen - he took a deep breath and plunged into the sea off the coast of Oban’s uninhabited Maiden island.
However at about 39ft he says his “memory cuts out”.
He was found unconscious by Hannah and dragged to shore and Oban RNLI lifeboat raced to the scene, accompanied by paramedics, the Daily Record reported.
Jamie said: “I went for three or four dives and that’s where the memory cuts out.
“It was a lovely day and the plan was to have a campfire on the island, then I was going to dive for some scallops.
“I think I was down to about 12 metres (39ft) and you hold your breath for about one and a half minutes.
“I started bringing up sea water but there was also a lot of blood as I had bitten my cheeks.”
“The next thing I remember is waking up in the lifeboat and the paramedics were snipping off my wetsuit, then waking up in a hospital bed.”
Jamie was taken to Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban but concerns over chest scans meant he was airlifted to Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital.
He added: “If it wasn’t for Oban lifeboat, the ambulance, the paramedics, the NHS, I wouldn’t be here. There is no way for me to ever repay what they have done.
“The doctor showed me the chest scan and said, ‘It’s been a long time since I have seen a lung scan in this state and usually when I see lungs like this they don’t take the patient to the ward, they take them to the mortuary’.
“I think I will take a big break from diving, for my family’s sake, but I don’t think I will rule out diving again.”
Jamie is the eldest of three sons of Kenny and Katie Nathaniel.
Katie, 51, said: “We are under no illusions how lucky we are to have him there, we are still a family of five thanks to Hannah noticing what had happened and everyone else playing their part.”
Oban RNLI’s Ally Cerexhe said: “We’d particularly like to thank the crew of a local fishing boat who were helping on the scene when we arrived.”
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