When I was aged 27 I was on holiday in Portugal in1987 with my then boyfriend, now my husband. I have always been a strong swimmer and was used to swimming in the sea. The sea was choppy that particular day but the flag showed safe for swimming, so I swam out not realising that I was further out than anyone else. Whilst a good distance out I noticed the white flag on the beach being replaced by a red one. Like all the other bathers, I began to swim back as fast as I could towards the beach. I realised with a sense of fear that for all my efforts I was no nearer to the beach. I continued to swim as fast and powerfully as I could but with an increasing feeling of panic I realised I still was no nearer. I could see everyone on the beach in the distance and realised that I was the only person still in the sea. I began to feel very tired and my arms felt like lead with each stroke. It was at that moment I knew I was not going to make it, and with that thought came feelings of desperation and panic. These lasted just a few moments however, and were then replced by a calmness in total acceptance of the situation. I did not feel frightened at all. I thought of my brother who had drowned aged 18 in 1979 and thought "this is how it must have been for Tony". Then from nowhere images of my life flashed up clearly and unexpedly before my eyes. It was like a projector flashing  photographs on and  off , but these were not photos or pictures I had seen before.

They were moments of my life, some sad and sentimental, some more random of me at my desk in work, as a child jumping on hay bales with my brothers and sisters, a past byfriend. One which was significant was me with Tony at about 13 and 14  standing in a field watching water flowing as a river began bursting its banks after torrential rain, and we ran away. Half an hour later the whole field were we had been standing was under 3 feet of water as the river banks collapsed.

These images flashed clearly before my eyes as I calmly accepted that I was about to die. Then from nowhere, at my left side I heard a mans voice shout to me. I remember wondering how I hadnt noticed anyone else in the water. He called to me to take his hand, and put out his right hand and grasped my left hand firmly. He spoke English with a German accent and he was young and blonde. He told me to swim together with him and swim under the waves. As we swam together with him tightly holding my hand I realised we were gaining distance and the beach was coming nearer. I knew then that I was going to make it. I looked at him and smiled and he smiled back at me as we continued to make good headway towards the beach. I do not remember when he let go of my hand. I remember getting to shallower water and stumbling out being helped by my husband and other people on the beach. I remember lying on my back on the beach feeling exhausted and coughing. I asked my husband where the man had gone, but he hadnt seen anyone helping me out of the water. I insisted that someone had, and described him, but we thought that he was a holidaymaker and had just gone on his way once he knew I was OK. I felt disappointed that I didnt get a chance to thank him for saving my life.

For all these years that has been my biggest regret, as I have never considered that my saviour was anything other than a young German man on holiday.  Until 3 days ago when I learned of the Third Man phenomenon, and read of the uncannily similar experiences of other people on the edge of life and death.

I feel I was meant to pick up John Geigers book The Third Man Factor, to allow me the explanation of my strange encounter after all these years.