Video shows swimmer bringing man to safety near Vancouver's Stanley Park

An avid swimmer insists he did not rescue a man he spotted floating in Vancouver’s English Bay – he just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and offered a helping hand.

While out for an evening dip near Second Beach on Aug. 17, Marcio Tatagiba noticed several police cars on the shore in Stanley Park.

Then he spotted Coast Guard vessels in the distance, and a man wearing a life jacket floating in the water.

“He was trying to get to shore, but he I think he was just too tired to move,” Tatagiba told CTV News.

“He wasn't moving at all, so I decided to ask if it was OK,” he said.

It turned out that the man and a friend had been in a Jet Ski accident, and were being rescued.

The Coast Guard vessels may have had a hard time getting closer, because it’s such a rocky area – so Tatagina told the man to hold onto a board, and pulled him back to safety.

“I was reassuring him and saying, ‘Hey! You’re doing fine, you’re doing great, we’re really close,’ and he was responding,” said Tatagiba.

When they finally reached the shore, a crowd of onlookers cheered.

Coincidentally, the Good Samaritan had just set up a GoPro on the board he used to help the man. He was using it to capture video of his swimming technique to improve his stroke.

He figured the friends were unharmed, because they did everything right: they weren't travelling too fast on their Jet Skis, and were wearing life jackets.