SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — An off-duty lifeguard jumped into action Saturday afternoon when he received a water rescue alert on his phone, diving into the water and rescuing a group of swimmers in distress.
Mariano Martinez, a Sarasota County Fire Department lifeguard, grabbed a rescue tube and swam out to the group that was over 200 yards away from shore at Lido Beach.
When he reached the swimmers Martinez saw that seven were in distress and made multiple trips back and forth from the shore to save everyone using a rescue tube and bodyboards.
“I have, always, in my car, or wherever I am, my rescue stuff because I love responding,” Martinez said in a news release.
He said it's important to make quick decisions, and the fire department said he saved the swimmers' lives.
“It’s days like this that make the work we do so rewarding,” Sarasota County Fire Department Lifeguard Chief Rick Hinkson said in a statement. “Working with someone as selfless and brave as Mariano makes it all that much better. He truly went above and beyond to save the family, and that is something to be commended. We’re proud to have him as a lifeguard here with us.”
Six of the swimmers were evaluated and one was treated and released at the scene by officials.
Martinez has 21 years of experience and has been with the fire department for six years. Before that, he lifeguarded for 15 years in his home country of Argentina. He said he loves his job and how impactful it is.
“I can’t explain the feeling,” Martinez said. “You cannot explain when you are watching a person and his or her life is in your hands.”
Rip currents are narrow columns of water flowing rapidly away from the beach, and this one was caused by a strong storm that struck the county around 5 p.m. Saturday.
Over the weekend, three young men died after being caught in a rip current in the Florida panhandle on vacation from Alabama. In the same area, a woman died Sunday morning after she also got caught in a rip current.
If you're a swimmer, it's important to abide by the flags posted on the beach to avoid swimming in unsafe conditions. Three flags warn of surf and rip current conditions. Red means a high hazard, yellow means a moderate threat and green means low danger. Experts say the best way to escape is to swim parallel to the shore.