A relaxing afternoon at the beach could have taken a tragic turn were it not for a young man who acted quickly and calmly to save the life of another by using his first aid skills.

Ryan Micallef, a 24-year-old member of an airline cabin crew, was sunbathing with his sister on the Sliema rocks when an elderly man nearby started choking on a piece of food.

The peace was broken by ear- piercing shrieks and screams as two women who were with the man, who was probably in his late 60s, started panicking.

“It all happened in a matter of minutes, if even that long,” Mr Micallef recalled.

“I was chatting to my sister when we heard someone coughing and wheezing quite loudly. I instinctively looked to see what was happening and saw this elderly man bent forward, red in the face, and two women hitting him on the back and panicking.

“I could see they had pieces of watermelon around, so I realised he was choking on it.”

As he assessed the situation, the man’s face started to turn purple and the women – his two daughters in their early 40s accompanied by three young children – were screaming out for a doctor or someone who knew how to help.

Mr Micallef ran towards them, stood behind the man and performed a series of abdominal thrusts in what is known as the Heimlich manoeuvre, in an attempt to dislodge the food that was blocking the man’s airway.

Young lifesaver praises his airline’s cabin crew training

In the ensuing commotion, more people crowded around.

“He was quite a large man so it was difficult to get my arms wrapped around him completely, but I did my best to put pressure on the lungs to force out the object.

“Unfortunately this was not enough, as he fell on his knees and lost consciousness.

“I laid him flat on his back and asked everyone to move back. I checked to see if he was breathing and for any signs of response. I quickly opened his airway and started CPR.”

By this time his family were in tears but Mr Micallef tried to focus and not let this distract him or make him nervous.

He coughed up pieces of watermelon

As he was giving him compressions the elderly man came back to his senses and coughed up the pieces of watermelon.

Mr Micallef stayed with him until he caught his breath and he was sure he was ok.

“When I stood up, the people around started clapping and the women hugged and thanked me. I was quite embarrassed at the time, and was just happy to see the man safe.

“The family asked if I was a doctor and I explained that I work for Emirates Airlines as cabin crew so we get medical training and deal with these situations from time to time on board, so I was more than happy to help in whichever way I could.”

His sister, Sarah Micallef, praised her brother for his brave act of heroism, adding that the incident should encourage more people to educate themselves on how to handle such situations as it could potentially save a life. “At the end of the day, what made me happiest was seeing the look on the family’s faces after the man started breathing again,” Mr Micallef said.

“I take pride in the knowledge and skills I learnt through my job.

“I think it is very important for people to have some form of basic first aid skills and know some first response techniques,” he added.

“If I were not there on the day, this man could have passed away by the time the ambulance arrived – in these cases, quick response is crucial.

“I highly recommend that everyone look into acquiring such skills – if not for themselves, for the people around them.”

Heimlich manoeuvre

It creates an artificial cough by forcing the diaphragm up toward the lungs in cases where a person is choking.

If the person is sitting or standing, stand behind. Form a fist with one hand and place it, thumb side in, just below the person’s rib cage in the front. Grab your fist with your other hand.

Keeping your arms off the person’s rib cage, give four quick inward and upward thrusts. You may have to repeat this several times until the obstructing object is coughed out.