0:00:02 > 0:00:05A close call - a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08What would happen if I wasn't found or didn't find a way out of it?
0:00:08 > 0:00:11A split second when the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13It's a choice - life or death.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20We saw a lady who was critically ill, if not dying in front of us.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22I kept thinking the hotel was going to fall on us.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29It's a day they'll never forget.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32The day they had a close call.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Today on Close Calls - rescue helicopters scour a vast area
0:00:52 > 0:00:54of the Australian bush.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58But the British tourist they are searching for is close to giving up hope.
0:00:58 > 0:01:04The lurking fear of what would happen if I wasn't found or didn't find a way out of it.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07And, horror on the school run.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19Helicopter medics need to perform emergency surgery on the school grounds.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22We saw a lady who was clearly critically ill,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25if not dying in front of us.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Also today, British kite surfing champion Lewis attempts
0:01:30 > 0:01:33a mid-air loop at 30 metres.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35The crowd loves it.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38But something goes wrong.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43His girlfriend, Courtney, knows it's serious.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45I just got tunnel vision, and I just ran.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48I just wanted to get to him as quick as possible.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Cape York, Queensland, in Australia.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03A helicopter crew is searching for a British tourist lost in the outback
0:02:03 > 0:02:05for more than two days.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09They find a message scrawled in the sand, but they can't find HIM.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11It's a very dangerous place.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Everything from wild boars to crocodiles,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17to spiders and insects that live within that bush.
0:02:17 > 0:02:2163-year-old Geoff Keys from Kent is far from home.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25He is alone, barefoot, hungry and fearing for his life.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29It's now dark and I was, in effect, just wandering around in the bush.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32It brought it home to me that I was actually, probably,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34in a bit of trouble. To put it mildly.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Two years ago, retired mechanic Geoff set off on a trip of a lifetime.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54My home is Dartford in Kent, my home now is the road.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58I rented my house out, my kids are grown up, all in their 20s or 30s,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01so I just... I'm a wanderer now.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08So far, he's driven all over Europe, and visited Russia and Japan.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Next, he decides to head down under.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15I wanted to get up to the northernmost tip of Australia which is at the very
0:03:15 > 0:03:19top of Cape York and I was heading, also,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23for a road that's known as the Old Telegraph Line.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Or the Telly Track. It's one of Australia's iconic drives that people love to do.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34He is heading for a campsite in a remote part of the Cape York Peninsula,
0:03:34 > 0:03:40a vast expanse of land that measures nearly 150,000 square kilometres
0:03:40 > 0:03:45and where, on average, the nearest town is over an hour's drive away.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50It's a beautiful July day when Geoff arrives at his destination
0:03:50 > 0:03:52along with friends he's made en route.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54We got there fairly early in the morning,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56we decided to camp for a couple of nights.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59The weather was really nice, nice and warm.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03And I decided I wanted to go off and explore a bit.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Geoff wants to see the popular Eliot waterfalls,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09which are around 2km away, on Eliot Creek.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13My plan was just to swim down to Eliot Creek and walk back,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16so I hadn't bothered to take any shoes with me because I was going to be
0:04:16 > 0:04:20in the water and the Telly Track itself is sandy so it would have been
0:04:20 > 0:04:23just like walking back up a beach.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27As his friends go off fishing, Geoff sets out on his adventure.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32By swimming up Canal Creek towards Eliot Creek,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and its nearby waterfalls. Well, that's the plan.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Having set off for the swim down Canal Creek,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44I was expecting to find the waterfalls - but didn't.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Unfortunately, I didn't actually know what they looked like.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50I just expected to find them a couple of kilometres downstream.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52So I just kept swimming.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55But for the falls, he should have turned right.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57He doesn't realise it now,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01but he's swimming downstream - away from the waterfall
0:05:01 > 0:05:03and further down Eliot Creek.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06That was about 4.30, I think, and eventually,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09about six o'clock I was thinking to myself, well,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I haven't found these waterfalls yet.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Perhaps I should be getting back.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Geoff gets out of the creek and heads off in the direction he thinks
0:05:18 > 0:05:21leads back to the campsite.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25The track wasn't where I thought it should be, so at about 8.30,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28it's now dark, and I was, in effect, just wandering around in the bush.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31I knew that I was lost.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Finally, at 2am, 12 hours after he set off with no shoes,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39he gives up trying to find a route back to camp.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44The sensible thing to do was to rest up, so I just went up onto the bank,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48found myself somewhere to lie down and just rest.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57The next morning and Geoff has now been lost in the outback for 18 hours.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00His friends back at the campsite haven't heard him return,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02so begin to worry.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06After breakfast they decide to call the emergency services.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Brad Foat is the senior police constable on duty.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15The only details we had were that it was a person by the name of Geoff,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and he had a British accent.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Geoff's friends tell Brad he was heading to Eliot Falls,
0:06:23 > 0:06:262km downstream from the campsite.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Brad puts together search teams including helicopters to help scour
0:06:30 > 0:06:32an area of six square kilometres.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36I've divided that up into numerous helicopters,
0:06:36 > 0:06:41foot search zones for land assets and three primary search areas for
0:06:41 > 0:06:43helicopters and, basically,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47they fly back and forward with aerial spotters on board
0:06:47 > 0:06:50in order to try and look for them.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53After a while I heard helicopters out.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55They were quite a way back behind me,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59so they were clearly searching where I'd last been.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02That brought it home to me that I was actually, probably,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05in a bit of trouble. To put it mildly.
0:07:05 > 0:07:11Later, Geoff spots a rescue helicopter, but they don't see him.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15I was just standing there yelling at it, "Come back!"
0:07:15 > 0:07:17I was yelling, "Come back!"
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Close calls don't just happen when people knowingly take risks.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Sometimes freak accidents occur during everyday errands.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Porthcawl, south Wales.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45There's been a freak accident involving a mum on the school run.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48A call comes into the emergency services.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02Mum Sonali has been run over by her own car.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I could hear voices around me screaming, shouting,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07saying, "Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh!"
0:08:07 > 0:08:09She is fighting for her life.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13It was significantly close to being a fatal accident.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Porthcawl, a seaside town on the South Wales coast.
0:08:24 > 0:08:30It's home to Sonali, her husband and twin 12-year-olds Thomas and Caitlin.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Local girl, born and bred around here.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36My family are the cornerstone of my life,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39they've supported me in everything that I've done.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Everything I do is for them, as well.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43It's very important.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Working full-time as an optician she rarely gets to pick her daughter,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Caitlin, up from school.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54But today is a day off and she's looking forward to the school run.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59It's nice because it gives me an opportunity to catch up with her.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Catch up with her friends, see what she's been up to.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07It's 4pm when Sonali arrives at school and gets out of the car.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Caitlin was going to get into the back seat of the car,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13and I told her that she couldn't do that because the car was full of
0:09:13 > 0:09:17shopping. I told her to climb in through the driver's side into the
0:09:17 > 0:09:19passenger seat.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22At that point I felt the car moving.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Somehow the car is rolling backwards,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Sonali needs to get back in to stop it.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31I panicked. And natural mother's instinct kicks in.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Your daughter is inside the car, the car is moving.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37My first instinct was try to get into that car.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42But before Sonali can get behind the wheel, she's knocked over.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47The open door swept me off my feet,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49and the next thing I knew I was lying on the floor,
0:09:49 > 0:09:54on the grass, looking at the driver's side tyre coming towards me.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59A little voice inside my head said,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02"Sonali, that tyre's going over you...
0:10:02 > 0:10:06"Whatever you do, do not let it go over your head. You'll be dead."
0:10:06 > 0:10:09She manages to get her head out of the way,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13but the car continues to roll right over her chest
0:10:13 > 0:10:15to the horror of other parents.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19I could hear voices around me, screaming, shouting,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21saying, "Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh!"
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Thankfully, the car comes to a halt,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27a member of staff in the school building calls 999.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33This is the recording of that call.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49A witness runs in from the scene with more information for the call handler.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06As the ambulance arrives, by chance, so does Sonali's GP, Janine David,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08also on the school run.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11The ambulance crew were doing blood pressure,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14we checked her oxygen levels and then we realised
0:11:14 > 0:11:17that she'd obviously broken multiple ribs
0:11:17 > 0:11:21and was in a lot of pain, and was struggling with breathing.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26At that point, it was significantly close to being a fatal accident.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28The flying doctors,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32a special emergency medical team able to treat patients at the scene,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34is scrambled to the school field.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39Consultant Craig Williams is one of the trauma specialists on board.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43We saw a lady who was clearly critically ill,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45if not dying in front of us.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48They decide they need to perform emergency surgery
0:11:48 > 0:11:50right there on the spot.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53We gave her an anaesthetic to allow us to cut open the side of her
0:11:53 > 0:11:56chest safely. When the hole was cut in her chest, it allowed her
0:11:56 > 0:11:58collapsed lung to re-expand.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Sonali was then rushed to hospital by ambulance, receiving
0:12:02 > 0:12:04a blood transfusion on the way.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08She would have probably died within the next 30 minutes if we hadn't
0:12:08 > 0:12:10achieved what we achieved with her.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15Sonali spends nine days in intensive care at Morriston Hospital
0:12:15 > 0:12:19in Swansea. As well as a collapsed lung, she has a broken collarbone,
0:12:19 > 0:12:24shattered shoulder blade, spinal fractures and broken ribs.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Defying all odds,
0:12:26 > 0:12:31she leaves hospital 12 days later and eventually makes a full recovery.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35To return to effectively normal, I think, is a miracle.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39It makes me feel very grateful. I should have died that day.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42But because of the care that I got,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46both from the air ambulance and the trauma surgeon,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- I'm here to tell the tale. - She's the most lucky person I know.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Coming up...
0:13:04 > 0:13:06..a British kite surfer is pulled
0:13:06 > 0:13:09from the waves after a stunt goes wrong.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11His life is on the line.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Seeing his body so lifeless, I thought it was fatal.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Back to Queensland, Australia,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29where 63-year-old Geoff Keyes has been lost in the outback for
0:13:29 > 0:13:33more than 20 hours after swimming the wrong way down a creek.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38He has no food and is barefoot.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Three rescue helicopters are out scouring the area searching for him,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45but so far there's been no sign.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Geoff's still confident he'll find his own way out of the bush,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52but he's in tough territory.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57It's a very dangerous place, everything from wild boars to crocodiles,
0:13:57 > 0:14:02to all sorts of spiders and insects that live within that bush.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06In order to keep going you have to tell yourself something, otherwise,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09if I'd said to myself, "Oh, no, there's going to be crocodiles around,"
0:14:09 > 0:14:12well, what was I going to do?
0:14:14 > 0:14:17This is Geoff's second day lost in the bush.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20As he continues to push on, swimming along the creek,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23desperately trying to find his way back to camp,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26he comes across a sandbank.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28I had a bit of a light bulb moment,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31I thought, well, if I write some kind of message on there,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34if those helicopters do happen to come down this way...
0:14:34 > 0:14:39So I just wrote the word "help" on the sandbank and then I wrote 28/07,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41being the date that I was there.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44And then I drew an arrow pointing downstream which was the direction
0:14:44 > 0:14:46in which I was travelling.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48It's now 6pm.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51The thing in my mind was, "Just keep going,"
0:14:51 > 0:14:56all the time I'm keeping going it's easy to suppress the lurking fear
0:14:56 > 0:14:59that, obviously, was in the back of my mind, you know,
0:14:59 > 0:15:04what would happen if I wasn't found or didn't find a way out it?
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Geoff swims on, but soon starts to tire.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09He's been drinking water from the creek,
0:15:09 > 0:15:15but he hasn't eaten for over 26 hours and he's extremely weak.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18It's another sleepless night in the bush for Geoff.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27After two days of searching and still no sign of Geoff,
0:15:27 > 0:15:31the rescue team are losing hope of finding him alive.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Michael Reed is the helicopter pilot.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37He is searching likely areas with coordinator Brad.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39I said, "How about we go..." He said, "We can go back now."
0:15:39 > 0:15:42I said, there's another one just up there. We'll go have a look.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44So we flew down just a little bit further.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Suddenly, something catches Brad's eye.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50I didn't see it. But he just goes, "What's that on the sand?"
0:15:50 > 0:15:52I said, "I don't know. I didn't see anything."
0:15:52 > 0:15:55He said, "Go back around," so I circled back around again, and sure enough,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59on this sandy bank is a big help sign.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04It was amazing to see that.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07With new-found optimism, Brad and Michael push on with their search.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12But after scouring the bush further downstream there's still no sign of
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Geoff.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17But he can see them.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21I was resting up on the bank, and I saw this helicopter fly over.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25I just leapt off the bank, out into midstream,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28by which time the helicopter had gone out of sight.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32I was just standing there yelling at it, "Come back!"
0:16:32 > 0:16:35I was yelling, "Come back! Come back!"
0:16:35 > 0:16:38But Brad and Michael still don't see him.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42They turn around and begin their journey back to base.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46As I fly, I bank hard right, and then as I come back around left,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49to get on the left-hand bend,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52I see a flash of white.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55At this point, I turn to Brad, I go, "I think I've just seen him."
0:16:55 > 0:17:02And he goes, "What? Where?" And I said, "Straight down there. I'm not sure but I'm going back around."
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I was just waving like this, waving my hands, you know,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09jumping up and down. And hoping that would help them see me.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Sure enough, there is Geoff, on the river bank, going like this.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19All I can see is a British national. I could see his white head and white arms.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22So that was a pretty amazing feeling.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26And this time I got a wave from someone in the helicopter window.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30And I just collapsed like that, almost.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36The fact that we had seen him waving indicated to us that he was at least
0:17:36 > 0:17:39alive. That feeling compares to nothing else.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Nothing else. Three days of hard work,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46looking for a needle in a haystack.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48And there it is.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54At that moment, they'd seen me, I knew that everything was going to be OK.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57My ordeal was over.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03Geoff has been found an extraordinary 15km from where he started out
0:18:03 > 0:18:05on his adventure.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Michael lands the helicopter 600 metres away from him
0:18:08 > 0:18:11and Brad heads towards his position.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Eventually I saw someone wading downstream towards me,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17and that turned out to be Brad Foat.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20I said, "Geoff, you've got a lot of worried people at home, mate."
0:18:20 > 0:18:24I shook him by the hand and I said, "I'm so glad to see you, mate."
0:18:25 > 0:18:30After 47 hours in the bush, with his bare feet cut to ribbons,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Geoff is too weak to make his own way back to the helicopter.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38So Brad calls for assistance in the form of a winch chopper.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43This footage shows the winchman being lowered down to Geoff in the creek.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Chris, the winchman, came down and clipped me to him, and he said,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51"Right, Geoff, just cuddle me. We're going up." So that's what I did.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Wrapped my arms around him, and up we went.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57We were just winched up into the helicopter.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03The rescue chopper's own camera shows a relieved Geoff clinging weakly
0:19:03 > 0:19:07to Chris just before they're pulled safely onboard.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10His ordeal is finally over.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Geoff spends the night in hospital,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17and then rests up for a few days in a hotel, so his feet can heal.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22He's then straight back on his bike to continue his adventure.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26But this close call has taught him a lesson or two.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30It kind of brought home how much at risk I was
0:19:30 > 0:19:32and how disastrous it could have been.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33Nine months down the line,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38I still feel guilty about all the hassle I caused people.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42I'm conscious of how easy it is, especially in somewhere like Australia,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44to get yourself into trouble.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Cape Town, South Africa.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Former British kite surfing champion Lewis Crathern is competing in
0:20:02 > 0:20:05the world King of The Air trophy.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09I think, "Right, just one more heat and I can be in the final, I can get on the podium."
0:20:09 > 0:20:12This footage, filmed by a spectator on the beach,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16shows Lewis launching himself over 60 feet in the air.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Then, disaster.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27The trick's gone badly wrong, Lewis slams into the water backwards.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31He is knocked unconscious and sinks below the surface.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34He needs help fast.
0:20:42 > 0:20:4630-year-old Lewis Crathern grew up in the seaside resort of Worthing,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48West Sussex.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54I think my parents, certainly, I've always been a bit of a, if you like, the wild child, maybe.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58I was always into flipping off buildings and skates and things like that.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00He was just, almost like a bit agitated.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04He just felt like he had to explore further than his years, most probably.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08That's how he's been from as long as I can remember.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12It was the wet and windy conditions of a typical British summer that led
0:21:12 > 0:21:15to Lewis finding his passion in life.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I was brought up right on the beach,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22I thought how could I possibly use this weather to my advantage?
0:21:22 > 0:21:26I saw kite surfing take off just around here, and I thought, "Wow,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29"these guys are going so high and jumping, all with just the power of the wind."
0:21:29 > 0:21:32That's how I got into it. I thought I had to do this.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35And then the bug took off.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42Strapped onto a board, kite surfers control a large sail to propel
0:21:42 > 0:21:44themselves across the water.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Expert surfers like Lewis use the wind to lift themselves high,
0:21:48 > 0:21:54up to 70 feet in the air, so they can perform gymnastic flips and tricks.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01It's ultimate freedom, away from the land, on the ocean.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05It's the battle against the elements, which is incredible.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Lewis became British freestyle champion at 21 years old,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18and six years ago, he famously was the first kite surfer to leap Brighton Pier.
0:22:18 > 0:22:24And so I've been able to travel the world and different places through the sport of kite surfing.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28When he started to get ranked in the world, that was a big deal.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Every year the best kite surfers in the world gather for
0:22:32 > 0:22:35the King of The Air competition in Cape Town, South Africa.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Lewis is competing, and this year is going brilliantly.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41He's through to the semifinal.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45His girlfriend, Courtney, is watching from the beach.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48There were thousands of people, and he was doing so well.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53We had such a good feeling about it because he'd won his previous heat
0:22:53 > 0:22:54over a big competitor.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57I think, "Right, just one more heat and I can be in the final.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59"I can get on the podium at this thing."
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Back home, Mum's getting updates on his progress.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04I knew it was his dream. And I was like, "This is it now,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08"he's going to be on a podium that he's waited for years for this opportunity for."
0:23:08 > 0:23:12The semifinal starts, and I'm feeling really confident.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16I see all the other three riders in my heat jostling for position.
0:23:16 > 0:23:22Shot by one of the crowd, this is the footage of Lewis's semifinal heat.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Desperate to make the final,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27he prepares to perform his most high risk and spectacular trick.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31- The mega loop. - The mega loop is the most powerful,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33amazing move in the sport of kite boarding.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Usually you have the kites above us,
0:23:35 > 0:23:40but if you pull hard on the bar you can loop the kite all the way down and around.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Off a big wave, Lewis launches himself into the air.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48I went into the mega loop, and then I can barely remember much from there, to be honest.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I mean, it's a massive jump that he did,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54so there was a loud cheering moment.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56CROWD CHEERS
0:23:56 > 0:23:59But it all goes terribly wrong.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04The minute he hit the ocean it was just quiet.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09When Lewis takes off, his body is in the wrong position, leaning backwards.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15And when he spins, he can't get his kite into the right place to
0:24:15 > 0:24:17straighten up.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21He falls backwards, it's a huge drop -
0:24:21 > 0:24:24the height of three houses.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Slamming into the sea, Lewis takes a blow to the head,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33and is knocked unconscious.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36He is in real danger of drowning.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39I just knew something was wrong, and I just got tunnel vision,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43and I just ran. I just wanted to get to him as quick as possible.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48With every moment critical, the kite surfers Lewis was competing against
0:24:48 > 0:24:50now rush to his aid.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54This photo shows the one who gets to him first desperately trying to keep
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Lewis's head above the roaring waves.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Him being dragged out of the water, it sounds weird
0:25:00 > 0:25:05but it wasn't a relief for me, because he was completely lifeless.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10Everyone was panicking. You could see the panic on people's faces.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15Lewis is foaming at the mouth because of the amount of water he's taken into his lungs.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18The event's medical team immediately start treating him.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22This picture shows the shocked crowd watching on as they try to revive
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Lewis with CPR and oxygen.
0:25:24 > 0:25:30Seeing his body so lifeless, I genuinely thought that he...
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I thought it was critical. I thought it was fatal.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- SOBBING:- OK...
0:25:38 > 0:25:43To everyone's relief, Lewis then regains consciousness.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45I went from thinking, he's never going to wake up,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48to him being awake and communicating with me.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52And I think that was the biggest relief I felt.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53But this is far from over.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Fighting to breathe, Lewis is in a very bad way.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59He's taken to hospital by ambulance.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I felt a great pain in my chest, and I think, naturally,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06I was asking for Courtney.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I kept saying, "Courtney, Courtney." I was scared.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13In the emergency department, doctors are stunned to find Lewis has no
0:26:13 > 0:26:16broken bones or internal injuries.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19But he's in danger of secondary drowning.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23His lungs are so full of water, they could stop working completely.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28He was only breathing 40% for himself,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and they said they needed to put him on a ventilator,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34in order to do so they needed to put him asleep.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38To give him the best chance of survival, Lewis is placed into an induced coma.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43His mum and dad fly straight out to be with him.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47When we first saw him and saw the tubes everywhere, I was in shock.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49But there was a bit of relief because I'm with him.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53I'm stood by him and I can be with him all the time.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57It's six days before doctors decide that Lewis's lungs have recovered
0:26:57 > 0:27:01enough for him to be brought out of his coma.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05Would he recognise us? Would he be brain-damaged?
0:27:05 > 0:27:09What would there be there that we would be
0:27:09 > 0:27:11bringing back, so to speak?
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I remember my parents being there, and Courtney was there.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15And it was very surreal.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19It didn't feel like there'd been six or seven days that had passed between
0:27:19 > 0:27:22the event. I thought the event had just happened.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26When he started to come around he only had eyes for Courtney.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28It was beautiful.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32There he was, he was smiling and happy, and the positive Lewis that he is,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35as if nothing had happened to him.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41A couple of months later, Lewis is back to fitness
0:27:41 > 0:27:47and back to kite surfing. The experience has brought him and Courtney closer together.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Courtney was incredible for me.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52She was always positive, and we got very close during that time.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56It's incredible how quickly, just about over a month,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58month and a half, that he's recovered.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01And that's a miracle because it was not expected.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04He was still meant to be in hospital.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Courtney's just moved back to Worthing in the UK, with me, which is great.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10So I'm really happy.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13He is absolutely amazing and I'm lucky to have him.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Some really close calls today, but all with remarkably good outcomes.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29See you next time.