Friday, Oct. 27 was the perfect day to fly a drone around Jupiter Inlet and capture video footage of boats coming in, according to one Florida resident. Kevin Cadby of Palm Beach Garden was recording the area when he caught the image of a fishing boat coming into the inlet.
Suddenly, strong winds and rolling waves capsized the vessel, throwing the lone boater out into harsh waters and next to the bottom of a rocky jetty. As the man struggled against the waves, a young boy surfing nearby with his cousin looked on from a distance.
“If you don’t get out of there you could easily drown,” Sam Ruskin remembered thinking in the moments he saw the drowning man. “He looked out of breath and tired.”
The 13-year-old surfer decided to jump on his board in a quick attempt to save the guy’s life. Upon reaching the stranded man, Sam gave up his surfboard and guided him back to shore.
“He looked pretty shocked,” Sam told USA Today. “He got on the board and I paddled him in, and he said thank you and I went back to surfing.”
The man was later evaluated by a doctor but was said to be doing fine. Ryan Ruskin, Sam’s father, was even shocked after viewing the drone footage.
“Just speaks about his character,” he told WPEC-TV. “He didn’t even blink an eye, jumped off his board, handed it to a grown man, saved his life.”
After Cadby shared the heroic clip on Facebook, it became an instant hit. Viewers on a repost by Florida Today praised Sam for his bravery.
“This child just did what was right,” the person wrote. “So refreshing to see this….. yay to mom and dad for raising a great soul.”
Drone video: Teen rescues man as boat sinksWhat an amazing rescue
Posted by Florida Today on Dienstag, 31. Oktober 2017
Yet, Sam’s courageous act is not the first of its kind and mirrors many other stories involving young rescuers. In August, a group of friends saved the lives of two young girls swimming at Crescent Beach in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Three 11-year-old girls, Georgia Springate, Kate Hunter, and Lily Cox, noticed the girls struggling in the water. The girls, who were also lifelong friends, had just completed a lifeguard training course and knew the signs to look for.
Cox helped the closer young woman get to the ladder of the pier. Once they ensured her safety, she asked them to rescue the other swimmer who was struggling.
“The current was pulling [the younger swimmer],” Julie Cox, Lily’s mother, said. “She was out for a fair amount of time. It was evident that she was going down. The second time [she went under], it was that little bit too long. That’s when the girls all circled around her.”
She looked to be about 13 and was wearing a T-shirt and leggings — not appropriate swimwear. They attempted to bring her to the ladder also, but the current was too strong.
Girls, 11, rescue pair in water: Longtime South Surrey friends avert potential tragedies The post Girls, 11, rescue… https://t.co/Q97xfdntdm pic.twitter.com/UjReSk8ihz
— Maple Ridge News (@MapleRidgeNews) August 29, 2017
The group decided to head for the shore instead. Once the girl was able to touch the bottom, they swam off and left her to return to her own family.
It was a job well-done for the young swimmers, just as it was in Sam Ruskin’s case. These kids didn’t let fear stop them from saving someone’s life, and even at their age, they proved anyone can be a hero.
