Amazing escape for woman trapped underwater for 10 minutes after she tried to rescue swan

Joanne Denobriga was sucked down into a vortex beside a sluice gate, pulled unconscious through a tiny gap under the gate and swept into the white water on the other side.

Witnesses who had seen her fall thought it was impossible that she could have survived.

Joanne Denobriga was sucked through the lock and into the weir by the raging flood waters

But she regained consciousness, pulled herself to the bank using willow branches  -  and escaped with a bruised elbow and scratched leg.

'I believe that my guardian angels were looking after me,' said the 50-year-old life coach from Caversham, Berkshire.

Miss Denobriga, a volunteer for the Swan Lifeline charity, had been called out to help the distressed swan at a spot where the Kennet and Avon canal divides, with Colthrop Lock on one side and sluice gates on the other.

She edged herself along a large boom beside the sluice gates to try to reach the stricken bird.

Whilst she was on the boom, it twisted round and she toppled to her left into what appeared to be calm waters.

Joanne Denobriga was trapped underwater in a canal for 10 minutes as she tried to rescue a distressed swan.

She assumed she would be able to swim to the bank, but the force of the undercurrent swept her under the boom and into faster-flowing waters on the side of the sluice gate.

Miss Denobriga again thought she would be able to get to safety easily by grabbing on to the gate and edging herself towards the bank.

Instead she was sucked vertically downwards and eventually under a 2ft by 6ft gap into the rapid white water on the other side.

'It was like being pulled down a plug-hole,' she said. 'I was caught in the current which turned into a whirlpool, like a vortex and I just remember shooting through this tunnel, like a chute.

'It was not until I was in the white water that I came round.

'At the time I did think I could die but I never actually thought, "I will die" and that is the important thing. I think if I had thought I would die, I probably would not have survived.'

Miss Denobriga had been called to the scene by Karen Peacock, a member of the
Angling Association. She was watching and raised the alarm as the volunteer fell into the water. She lost sight of her for ten minutes and believed she had died.

'It was absolutely terrifying,' she said. 'She sank like a stone and there was no sign of her.'

Paramedics, led by Paul Mitchell, took Miss Denobriga to hospital and described her survival as 'a phenomenon'.

Mr Mitchell said: 'Survival under water for that amount of time without brain damage being caused is possible  -  if the water is cold enough.

' It is a well documented phenomenon that cold water reduces the brain's need for oxygen.'

It was also confirmed by a neurologist at London's Atkinson Morley Hospital that cold water helped prevent the brain being starved of oxygen.

Miss Denobriga yesterday said she blamed herself for what had happened.

'I made an error of judgment when I went to rescue a swan that was in danger,' she said.

'We are always told to put our lives first but instead of making an assessment of the situation I attempted to save the swan.

I saw it in distress and sat on the edge of a boom thinking it was fully secured but it spun round and threw me into the water  -  it was like being on a greasy pole.'

The swan she was trying to rescue later died.

'When I went back to see the place I was amazed at what I had gone through,' she said. 'But it was good to see it because I wanted to get closure on what happened.

'I was back in a canoe as soon as possible. A cygnet needed rescuing and it was a good way to get back on my feet.'