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Scott Ferries: 'My son's drowning should be a warning to others'

Facebook Scott Ferries and dog RoxyFacebook
Scott Ferries was on a camping trip with a friend and his dog Roxy when he drowned

The family of a young man who drowned in a loch in East Ayrshire are leading a safety campaign in his memory.

At the weekend, friends and relatives of Scott Ferries marked what would have been his 25th birthday by leaving a life ring near where he died.

Scott drowned in March after falling from an inflatable kayak on Loch Doon, near Dalmellington.

His father James told BBC Scotland he hoped "no other family will experience what we've had to experience".

In a joint fundraising campaign with the family of another young man who drowned at Loch Doon, he now hopes to install more safety aids on the loch and elsewhere.

James Ferries Family and friends of Scott FerriesJames Ferries
Scott's family and friends gathered at Loch Doon where he died to mark his birthday weekend by installing a life buoy

Scott, a mechanic from Ayr, and a friend were only about 50 yards (45m) from the shore when the tragedy happened during a camping weekend in warm spring weather.

"He'd been out with his friend in a two man inflatable kayak. They were having fun, they were on their way back in - they'd been out for about an hour and a half," his father told Good Morning Scotland.

"On the way back in they do what young lads do, they'd started splashing each other with the paddles - and the boat capsized

"It was a lovely day, the water was very calm - the boat capsized. They had problems trying to get back in the boat because every time the two of them tried to grab the boat it just kept turning over because it was an inflatable."

Despite being a warm day, the water was extremely cold. It is believed Scott, who was a strong swimmer, experienced what is known as "cold water shock" which affects breathing and circulation during the first vital minutes.

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How to survive cold water shock

Ross MacLeod, RNLI : "Rest and relax in the water"

The RNLI say there are five steps to know how to float:

  • If you fall in the water, fight your instinct to thrash around.
  • Lean back, extend your arms and legs.
  • If you need to, gently move them around to help you float.
  • Float until you can control your breathing.
  • Only then, call for help or swim to safety.

Find out more about the RNLI's "float to live" campaign

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"The sheer cold was taking over - the fact he had two pair of trackies on was starting to pull him under the water - and he lost his fight too quickly."

Mr Ferries said his son did have a wetsuit and life jacket but had left them at home on the day he died.

"We had all the kit but because he'd decided he was going to go camping he couldn't squeeze the wetsuit and the lifejacket and that in the car, so he thought 'it's a nice day, we'll no need it' - and this is what happened," he said.

"If he had taken it and used it, he would still be here and still be enjoying his young life."

James Ferries life buoy installed in Scott's memoryJames Ferries
An RNLI aproved life buoy has now been installed near the spot where Scott died

Scott's friends and relatives have now joined with the family of another young man - 18-year-old Brandon Patton who also drowned at Loch Doon - to start a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to pay for more RNLI-approved life buoy rings.

Mr Ferries said he loved going out on the water himself but the death of his son had convinced him never to do so without a buoyancy aid.

"The cold is that bad - it starts shutting your lungs down and there's a big chance you'll drown because of it," he said.

"So please, everybody - wear a lifejacket, at least to give yourself some chance of survival because nobody wants to experience what I'm having to go through, along with all his friends and the rest of the family."