Dad of Knaresborough drowning victim warns of open water dangers
Alex died in a canoe accident in the river in 2008
The father of a teenager who died in a canoe accident in the river at Knaresborough, 13 years ago, is urging people to learn about the dangers of open water.
Billy Reynard-Bowness, from Norwood, lost his son Alex, when he fell into the water from a canoe and was pulled below the surface.
The coroner's report found he died immediately when he gasped for breath.
Billy is sharing his story as experts are warning about the dangers below the surface in open water, as part of our #GetWaterWise campaign.
"The second I heard it, I just knew"
Alex was visiting Billy at his caravan in Knaresborough, next to the River Nidd.
The caravan came with a canoe, which Alex had been out in earlier in the day, before a BBQ, and then went out in again later on, as Billy and his husband were doing the dishes.
Alex was with his girlfriend, and his sister Sophie.
Billy told us: "It was Sophie's screaming that I heard, and the second I heard it, I just knew.
"Alex was in the water and he screamed for help. I ran to get a life buoy. My husband, Lee, went in, because he'd gone under. He literally said 'Dad' help!' as he went under.
"That was it. That was how quick it was."
Once Alex had been pulled from the water, those around tried resuscitating him. He was then taken to Harrogate Hospital by ambulance, where teams continued CPR for another 45 minutes.
Billy continued: "I was in the room in A&E, and when they called it, and pronounced him dead, I literally can remember the feeling of the life being sucked out of me.
"It was like my world stopped"
"I knew that our family was never going to be the same again, ever. I knew that I was never going to stop missing him.
"When I did go out, I was walking around the supermarket, and I was watching. People were just casually shopping, and talking about the price of veg. It was as if their world should have stopped at the same time as mine, because for me, it was like my world stopped.
"I couldn't really get around the fact that nobody else was feeling like this, because obviously everybody was just going about their daily business.
"It's been 13 years now and I still catch myself looking at people in the supermarket having discussions about what they're getting for dinner and stuff."
"By the time we realised what danger lurked... it was too late"
Billy says the river was "deceptively ok to look" on the surface, and regularly had children playing in it.
However, the coroner's report found Alex died immediately when he entered the water, as he took a gasp while being pulled under by currents.
Billy says he wasn't aware of the dangers, and doesn't think that's uncommon: "Kids don't think of the danger, and a lot of time, adults don't think of the danger.
"You can't just say you can keep an eye on children, because if Alex had gone out on that canoe and tipped over and we'd been there, the outcome would have still been the same.
"Even the most capable parent, the most on-the-ball parent, still needs time to react.
"Just because they're there, it doesn't mean to say that disaster might not happen. It'll happen whether you're there or not, unless kids get a greater understanding of what can happen, why, and how.
"By the time we realised what danger lurked in that body of water, it was too late."
WATCH: Senior Correspondent Mick Coyle sets out the facts about accidental drowning
Click here for advice on safety in open water.