Dorset Coroner’s Court heard a statement from one of Joe’s friends, who continued: “There were really strong, big waves that came out of nowhere and knocked me over and under the water. I couldn’t get up and was taking a lot of water.
“I couldn’t breathe and thought I was going to die… at one point I looked up and could see the rest of the group swimming back to the shore…
“I didn’t shout for anyone because I actually thought I was going to die and I didn’t want anyone else to get into difficulty just because I was.”
He recounted that he was “really, really far out… much further than the end of the pier” before he gained his breath and swam backstroke to stay afloat.
“It seemed to take me ages and ages,” he said.
“When I got myself back to the shallows where I could stand I was exhausted.”
‘Panic’
Coroner Rachael Griffin also read a statement from a boy who went into the sea with Joe.
“Out of nowhere a wave hit Joe and it was larger than his head,” he said.
“Waves started coming and they were getting stronger and stronger. It happened all of a sudden.”
The last he saw of Joe was the teenager being swept out to sea, as the witness himself “started to panic that he could not touch the floor any longer”.
“He explained the water was going over his head and he started to scream to others saying ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘help’,” Ms Griffin read.
“He then noticed another woman who was also in difficulty next to him. He said she was struggling to swim and screaming ‘help’.”
