A grandfather died while rescuing his nine-year-old granddaughter on a beach in Cornwall, England, after a sudden change in sea conditions plunged his family into deeper water.Phil Crow, 68, suffered a cardiac arrest at sea after helping to save his granddaughter Sia Briskham and wife Tina Crow at Tregirls Beach near Padstow on Bank Holiday Monday.According to family members, the three were in the water when conditions suddenly changed and they began to drift away from the shore.Tina Crowe told the Daily Mail that the family were enjoying the waves when they suddenly found themselves unable to touch the bottom of the sea.“We were jumping with the waves and suddenly when we landed we couldn’t land,” she said. “It’s deeper and it’s pulling us out.”As the situation worsened, her husband focused on helping his granddaughter reach safety, she said.“He pushed her feet and shouted ‘swim, swim, swim’,” she recalled. “He pushed her to safety but in doing so meant he could not return himself.”Sia was eventually brought ashore by members of the public, while Tina was rescued by a passing boat and later examined by paramedics. Family members said about 15 people were involved in rescuing those who fell into the water.Mr Crowe, a retired stonemason and lifelong resident of Padstow, was pronounced dead at the scene despite the response of emergency services.His daughter Mel Thomas said the family believed his final act was an act of sacrifice.“He died a hero and he wouldn’t have died any other way,” she said. “He saved his granddaughter’s life. She was safe because of what he did.”Thomas said her father loved his five grandchildren and was always fiercely protective of them.The family said they had been visiting the same beach for decades and described the incident as a devastating shock.A Coastguard team, Rock RNLI lifeboat crew and Cornwall Air Ambulance attended the emergency.Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were called to reports of a man suffering a cardiac arrest at sea at around 3.50pm.The Daily Mail quoted a police spokesman as saying: “Emergency services and the RNLI attended the scene but sadly the local man, aged in his 60s, was pronounced dead at the scene.”Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.Mr Crowe’s death came during a bank holiday period when unusually warm weather saw large numbers of people visiting beaches and open water swimming spots across the UK.
