Swim instructor saves woman from drowning at Wollaston Beach in Quincy

Renze Daley had been enjoying an ice cream along Wollaston Beach in Quincy, Massachusetts Sunday, when she and her friend noticed a woman bobbing in an out of the water. Daley called out to her, but the response was faint. Then someone from the nearby yacht club called out that the woman needed help.

"I didn't think too much about it. I took off my shoes and I just went into the water," she recalled. 

The 22-year-old Daley is a strong swimmer who grew up on the swim team and now works as an instructor at her local Y. Even with her experience and training, the conditions were challenging. 

"It's one thing to perform a rescue in a pool. It's another to swim against currents and tides and the wind in regular clothes with no tube," she said. 

Daley, only 5'2", was smaller than the woman, who was exhausted. 

"She's not able to kick or anything like that. I'm holding her and trying my best not to go under the water. I put my arm around her, I had my left arm around her, and I tell her to lean her body weight onto me," she said. 

Thanks to her calm and quick thinking, Daley safely helped the woman back to the beach and called 911. The outcome was extremely rewarding, and a reminder of the priceless importance of the work she loves. 

"Moms and dads bringing their babies who can't even walk, and I teach the elderly too. I was teaching water yoga too. It really is for everybody," she said of swim instruction. 

And she feels everyone has some responsibility to be ready and able to help. 

"The water, as much as it's fun, it's so dangerous. I feel like everyone should know a little CPR and at least how to swim," Daley said. "Knowing how to at least keep your ahead afloat is very, very important."