Megan Blower, 15, of Magdalen Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, was minutes from death after she was swept under South Parade Pier with her friend Bridie Delaney, 15, in Portsmouth yesterday afternoon.

The girls got into trouble in the sea off Southsea at around 3.30pm after venturing out in an inflatable dinghy.

Powerful waves capsized the yellow six-foot craft before strong currents dragged the girls under the pier.

While Bridie, of Farmside Gardens, Hilsea, was able to cling on to a pole beneath the pier, the waves threw Megan's head against the pier's base.

Just when the girls were losing hope Portsmouth and Southsea Voluntary Lifeguards came to their rescue and plucked them from the water.
Megan was rushed to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham but discharged yesterday evening. She sustained concussion as well as several cuts and bruises. Bridie was uninjured.

Speaking at her home last night she said: 'We were trying to get back to the shore for about 10 minutes and Bridie said "Oh my God, we are getting closer and closer to the pier".

'The waves then just threw us out of the boat. I was swallowing so much water and I didn't have any energy.

'The waves kept knocking me against the poles of the pier. I couldn't pull myself out of the water. If the lifeguards hadn't come when they did I would have died.

'It was the scariest thing ever. I kept thinking this is it, I'm going to die. I was about to let go, then the lifeguards came. They are only volunteers. They are the biggest heroes.'

Lifeguards Richard Hackwell and Ashley Mills rescued the girls from under the pier in the boat Jobsite 1.

Mr Hackwell said: 'Children's inflatables are extremely dangerous and scenarios like this can quickly escalate in windy conditions. They should be tethered to the shoreline.'

Bridie, who will be going into year 11 at Mayfield School with Megan in September, warned other youngsters about the dangers of the sea.
'We just want to warn other people about this and we hope nobody else goes through what we went through today.

'I would really like to thank the lifeguards and say sorry to them that they had to risk their lives for us.'

Megan's friends Dallas Morgan, Callum Stewart and Taylor Rogers, all 15, helped the lifeguards pull the boat out of the choppy waters after the rescue.

Megan's mum, Kim Blower, said: 'When I got the news I almost had a heart attack. I had been telling them that morning not to go out in that boat.

'When I saw her in hospital with the oxygen mask on it was horrible. I kissed her then told her off!'