David from #skct teaching me a very important lesson during our workshop. He was portraying a panicked swimmer. I disregarded everything I had read about rescuing a swimmer and got too close. Immediately David grabbed my perimeter lines and capsized me. We struggled for a bit until we managed to calm him down enough to rescue him. Lesson learned. When encountering a swimmer in need of help, at first stay well out of reach while you assess their mental state. If they are calm enough to receive assistance, then proceed. The last thing we want is for the rescuer to be in the water or disabled as well.