A local resident's morning swim turned into a rescue on Friday, after Sébastien Uscher heard cries for help and pulled a young tourist from the water at Menton's Plage des Sablettes.
Uscher was swimming with his son when he spotted a young man in distress several dozen metres away, arms raised, calling for help. "I understood he was drowning," Uscher recalled, and swam toward him immediately. The man, 21 year old Adrien, a Moldovan tourist holidaying in the Alpes-Maritimes with his partner, had waded out several metres before trying to turn back, only to step into a sudden drop where he lost his footing. Unable to swim, he began to struggle.
Once safely back on the sand, the pair marked the moment with a selfie before parting ways. Uscher later shared the story on social media to thank the responding fire crew and to remind others that a calm Mediterranean can be deceptive. "Because the sea isn't rough, people often think there's no risk," he said.