UNCW women’s basketball coach shares near-drowning experience to promote water safety

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — More than five months after nearly drowning while saving her nephew at Wrightsville Beach, UNCW women’s basketball head coach Nicole Woods is sharing her story in hopes of preventing similar tragedies.

Woods spoke to nearly 70 UNCW students Monday during the university’s Boat Club’s first-ever Water Safety Night, recounting the frightening moments that nearly cost her life just before Memorial Day weekend in May.

Woods said she had always considered herself a strong swimmer, but the experience showed her how quickly ocean conditions can become dangerous.

“My nephew bent down to grab a seashell, turned his back to the wave, the wave hit him and pulled him out,” Woods said.

Woods jumped into the water to save her nephew, Noah, but soon found herself fighting for her own life.

“And there was definitely a point to where I thought I wasn’t going to make it and I remember you know, saying if they’ve got to choose, they need to take my nephew and not me,” Woods said.

Woods credits bystanders and first responders with saving her life after she was pulled from the water without a heartbeat.

“There were a lot of bystanders on the beach that helped in a lot of different ways. There were some amazing cops there that performed CPR on me on the beach that was able to revive me there on the beach. I wasn’t breathing, I didn’t have a heartbeat when they pulled me out of the water,” Woods said.

Now, Woods is using her experience to teach others about water safety, reminding students that even experienced swimmers must respect the ocean.

“The water is great, but you have got to always respect the water,” Woods said.

Woods was joined by Aaron Stasiak, founder and CEO of The Qualified Captain, a company that shares videos of boating accidents and mishaps to educate people about safety on the water.

Some of those incidents have previously been featured on WWAY, including a large boat striking a dock while being towed and a sailboat crashing into a docked boat.

Stasiak said Monday’s event was an opportunity to remind students about the importance of being prepared for emergencies on the water.

“On the water, its not like you’re on land, right? So I mean, if something happens to you in the water, your chance of survival is pretty low cause its not like, if you pass out, you’re going to drown. Be ready for that kind of situation if you’re with a friend or family. Don’t ever go out by yourself, I don’t like that,” Stasiak said.

For UNCW student Gadisson Speight, the warnings brought back memories of his own frightening experience on the water.

Speight said his kayak overturned while duck hunting last winter, leaving him in freezing conditions.

“I’ve been on the water my whole life, specifically I had an experience like that as well. Last winter when I was duck hunting, my kayak flipped and it was 30 degrees out and it was freezing. So hearing those things kind of touched a little part of me as well, cause I’ve been extra safe since that,” Speight said.

Woods said her near-drowning experience has inspired her to become an advocate for water safety, hoping her story will encourage others to take precautions before heading into the water.

She also announced that some of the people who helped save her life will be honored during the UNCW women’s basketball team’s home game on Nov. 7.