BRAVE sales manager told this week how he risked his life to save a man who tragically drowned in the sea while on holiday at a popular Spanish resort.

Dad James McAteer, of Hardwood Flooring in Blantyre, plunged into the water to rescue a Japanese father-of-three on the beach of Calahonda, Nerja, Costa Del Sol.
But the 38-year-old’s efforts where in vain as the man was already dead as he dragged him back to shore.
During the rescue bid, James suffered injuries to his back and neck and spent three days in a local hospital.
The 64-year-old Japanese tourist’s son and two daughters looked on in horror as the strong waves dragged their father 50 metres into deep water from the shore. Several onlookers standing near a stall on the beach raised the alarm and James and another man dived into the sea to try and rescue the man.
Speaking from his Bothwell home, James told the Advertiser: “I was leaving the beach at 6pm when I realised that a man was in trouble in the water near a rocky cove.
“He was struggling and going under the water.
“His son appeared and he was hysterical and begging for help.
“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision but I decided to jump in and try and rescue him.
“I wanted to save his life and rescue him from the water.
“Along with a Spanish man, it took us 15 minutes to drag him to the shore and during that time I was injured.
“When we got him to the beach, a Spanish lad gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but the man was already dead.
“It was a tragedy for his son and two daughters who witnessed it. It was a really sad scene. My heart goes out to them.
“I was lucky as I could have died in the sea.
“One Spaniard said it was better one dead than two.”
Eyewitnesses slammed the emergency services who, they said, took 50 minutes to arrive at the scene during the incident on Friday, June 3.
Spanish Civil Guard, a rescue boat and local police went to the shoreline.
The Japanese tourist was the third person to drown on the beaches of Malaga in recent months.
The tragedy happened in Nerja, 50km from Malaga, which has the spectacular Balcón de Europa, a magnificent promenade along the edge of a towering cliff, with sweeping panoramic views of the Mediterranean and small coves and beaches below.
James, who appeared on Spanish television and in newspapers, said: “I was on holiday in Costa Del Sol last year and a man also drowned in a similar tragedy
“It seems to be happening all too often.”

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