lifesaving coincidence

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understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.

Many of the animations were produced using Flash and will no longer work.

whilst windsurfing on a remote reef break in the carribean a few years ago my board and rig became separated by equipment failures. i struggled in the waves/water for some time to reconnect the board to the rig and had just decided to leave it and try to swim back with the board on its own.the only safe option. at that moment an english guy turned up offering help and together we managed to effect a repair on the water some 500m out at sea.i was able to sail back safely to the beach( there is no rescue cover in these remote places). i never saw the guy again until one day whilst windsurfing at my local beach two years later( on the south coast) i passed on the water a guy that needed some assistance and stopped to help. i thought i knew him from somewhere but not from where. when we both returned to the beach we suddenly realised that it was from the above incident.he was on holiday and happened to be at my local beach!
Total votes: 177
Date submitted:Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:16:23 +0000Coincidence ID:5116