‘A Fortunate Series of Events’
How I saved my fiancée from nearly drowning
By Peter Gardner, Sunny Isles Beach Resident

I was producing a TV commercial Saturday, March 4 - and when we were close to wrapping it, I asked the director if I could leave a few minutes early from the shoot as I was eager to see my fiancée - especially since she was leaving on a business trip the next day to Washington D.C. It turned out that the few minutes may have been the difference that saved her life. As I drove home to see her, I picked up a cell message from her saying she would be going to the beach and to try to find her there.

Instead of going home from the shoot to change for the beach I decided to drive straight to the beach fully dressed and park there so I could be with her that much sooner. When I arrived at the beach (between Ocean Two and Ocean Three) I spotted her towel and I saw that she was out playing in the surf close to the sand bar. I relaxed on the sand and watched contentedly knowing that she was being playful and happy.

I started to notice that she was going further out. I spotted her way out in the surf and I watched and watched and it looked like she was doing large breast strokes and then she disappeared - waaaay out there. Then she popped up and I heard a distant cry of help - then silence and then one more help. At first I thought my ears were fooling me but then I realized that this serene moment had turned tragic.

At the distance she was at, it was hard to tell that the water ballet I had presumed she was doing was really her arms flailing in desperation. I realized that she was now so far out that she would never have purposefully gone that far - she was now just a barely discernible spot of blonde bobbing and disappearing in the surf and apparently moving even further away from the shore. I suddenly realized that she had been pulled way out by a rip tide and little did I know but all the time she had been fighting it furiously not just doing breast strokes.

I could see that she was now under more than above the water. I stripped off my clothes and swam out there with every once of energy I could muster. I kept saying to myself that I have to get there in time. I never swam so fast in my life - my heart was thumping so much I thought it would explode. I kept thinking, "This cannot happen, this is my fiancée - we are getting married in three weeks, she was so happy just a few minutes ago - I have to save her, I have to get there in time".

When I got to her she was gagging on sea water, limp and glassy eyed but alive. She was able to whisper that she had been sucked under and that she had given up as she could not struggle against it any more. I was so grateful to have made it in time. She could not swim or do anything so I just held her up and calmed her. Eventually two men came out to help realizing why I had done my furious clothes stripping and run to swim out. We all three held her and then lifeguard emergency vehicles of all kinds came flying down the beach.

The lifeguards came out in rapid succession with tow devices and one guard hooked onto her with a rope that had an orange buoy for her to hang onto. He paddled and paddled and then he exclaimed, "This is not working - we are all going further out." It was a very strong undertow and rip current.

One of the two men who came to help had to be rescued as he was floating out to sea. Eventually the determination of the lifeguards made headway against the current and then the lifeguards with the 12 foot orange surfboards came out and managed to get us all in. The crowd on the beach cheered when we came ashore. The guards congratulated me and the two guys did a great job and basically saved her life.

WOW! I became part of a fairy tale story that had a happy ending. I could not help thinking how important those few minutes were.

Heidi was quivering and a bit in shock but at the same time elated to be safe ashore. I remembered that amongst my belongings with my clothes I had a camera. I thought it was a moment to remember - so I shot a few pictures of the lifeguards, one of the other rescuers - Marcello (the other one was not around), and then I shot on of Heidi and myself with two of the lifeguards.

This all happened within ten minutes of me getting to the beach. If I had left the shoot ten minutes later or if I had gone home first and then to the beach, it is possible that she would never have made it - she may have never been spotted in time to be saved.

It is important to know that these rip tides are very dangerous and that they can be spotted when you see an area of ocean where there is no sandbar. The best thing to do if you are caught in one is to swim parallel to the beach and eventually you will swim across it and out. Heidi was too tired for that by the time we got to her and the undertow was too strong - we had to support her and then with the help of the lifeguards we were able to bring her in.

My sincerest thanks to the two men who came to help, to the first class professionalism of the lifeguards and the police who came to the rescue, and to the wonderful sense of camaraderie of the beach goers that cheered as we touched shore - truly concerned and grateful.

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