Two 16-year-old girls are fortunate to be alive after being stranded on their paddleboard overnight in the waters off Cedar Key, Florida. The Levy County Sheriff’s Office reported the girls missing Monday evening after they attempted to paddleboard to Cedar Key but were swept off course by strong winds and currents.
The teens were blown far south of their intended destination, stranded on a small island. Early Tuesday morning, Will Pauling, a charter fishing captain, and his friends Alex Jeffries and Russ Coon decided to join the search effort.
“We have kids ourselves, and we wanted to get out there and try finding them. With the cold temps last night, we figured it would be pretty difficult,” Pauling said. The rescuers had a general idea of where to search but were guided almost directly to the island where the girls were found, ABC Action News reported.
“We almost, in a weird way, drove straight to them,” Jeffries said. The girls, who had spent the night on their paddleboard, were unable to move due to the sharp oyster shells surrounding them.
“They were stuck on their board, they couldn’t get off their board because every which way was oysters, and if you are around here, oysters are very sharp,” Jeffries explained. The rescuers carried the girls to their boat, as their feet were cut and injured from the shells, told News 6 Orlando.
Despite their ordeal, the teens were in good spirits. “They were still on the raft, frozen,” Jeffries said. “They were really lighthearted about the situation. For what it was, nice to have a good attitude in a bad situation.”
The rescuers provided towels, snacks, and water to help the girls recover. “If we have the ability to find them, let’s give it a shot,” Coon said. “What have we got to lose, there was so much more to gain because when we did find them, there was literally nobody around us.”
The girls were safely returned to their families, thanks to the quick actions of the rescuers. The incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of unpredictable weather and water conditions, even for experienced paddlers.
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