In quite a ballsy move by a passer-by, a teenage girl has been rescued from the River Thames in the UK last month. 

When Stand up paddler Adam Balls noticed a girl laying motionless in the water, he leapt to her aid, pulling her onto his stand up paddle board and getting her to shore quickly. His friends (also on stand up paddle boards) swiftly called emergency services and disaster was averted. But as Adam said (we'll spare him the title of Mr Balls):
"I just did what anybody would have done. I think if we hadn’t been there it could’ve been a much worse situation.”

He's probably right, as the girl was swiftly carted by Ambulance to nearby Middlesex hospital. But a spokeswoman from the Ambulance service was vague on the details only reporting:
“We were called to an incident at Water Lane at 9.15pm. We sent a single responder in a car and an ambulance. Our staff took a 17-year-old girl to West Middlesex Hospital.” 

It's not known what the girls injuries were, or why she was found unconscious in the water. We do know she's ok now though, thanks to Adam and his SUP board. 

It just goes to show what a useful watercraft the stand up paddle board can be. In other situations we've seen them used as stretchers, to move medical supplies and we've even seen one used to get a 4wd unbogged from the sand.

Have you got any amazing Stand up paddling rescue stories? Let us know in the Stand Up paddling forums. 

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