Lifeguard praised for his unbelievable skill after child calls for life ring in pool

A video has gone viral online showing a lifeguard effortlessly throwing a life ring to a child.

The video, which was captioned with “See a kid drow[n]ing, Dw [don’t worry] I got it", shows the lifeguard nonchalantly tossing the life ring to a swimmer in the pool after they called for one.

At the time, the video drew widespread acclaim for the well-placed throw.

One man can be seen enthusiastically showing his admiration for the throw in the pool, with the video going viral.

The incident happened at the Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Some people took to the comments to say how impressed they were with the aim.

One posted: "Legends say carnivals tremble when he shows up to the ring toss table."

However, the video was removed after the New Zealand Herald made enquiries with the council that runs the pool.

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This sparked an investigation into the incident, because if it had been a genuine emergency then more action than tossing a rubber ring would have been warranted, no matter how good the aim.

Some people took to the comments online to point out that in a real emergency this would not have been the right thing to do.

One person wrote: "He was ridiculously cavalier about a potentially drowning child."

Another replied: "He took the risk of making the situation worse. Didn’t show any sign of actually acting besides throwing the ring. If he misses and that kid goes under what happens?"

Now Christchurch City Council, which is responsible for overseeing the pool, has confirmed that it is investigating the circumstances around the viral clip.

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Nigel Cox, head of recreation, sports and events for Christchurch City Council later clarified to the New Zealand Herald that the child in the pool was not in any danger.

He said: “The child in the video was not drowning or in difficulty in the water, but had asked a lifeguard to throw him a life ring to use while swimming in the pool.

"This was not an emergency situation and therefore our standard emergency practices were not required to be followed in this instance."

He added: “We take all incidents of pool users getting into difficulty in the water very seriously and our lifeguards are extensively trained in the different procedures used depending on the nature of the issue.

“This video should not have been posted online and we are reviewing the matter."