Posted on 07/14/2018 5:06:40 AM PDT by BBell
T. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - A 19-year-old spent nearly 10 hours in the ocean fighting for his life.
“Worst vacation ever, but also my most exciting ever,” said Blake Spataro.
But it’s the kind of excitement we’d all like to avoid.
“I was out there sitting by the shore when a rip tide washes me straight into the ocean,” he said.
The teen was stranded in the ocean for nearly 10 hours.
“I didn’t want to die out there. I was talking to God the entire night,” Spataro said.
He screamed for help, but no one heard him over the waves and wind. He said he continued to get pulled out to sea Tuesday night.
“I wanted to live, I wanted to live, I was too young to die and I didn’t want it to end there,” said Spataro.
For hours, the U.S. Coast Guard searched in the sky and by boat, along with multiple agencies. Spataro’s father, Kirk, spent all night walking up and down the beach, desperate to find his son.
“I was screaming, I was hollering, I was looking,” Kirk Spataro said.
Throughout the night, the 19-year-old did his best to stay calm.
“Whenever I was tired I floated on my back,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at actionnewsjax.com ...
Floaters think everyone is a floater and it pisses me off! In the Corp you can’t argue or talk back so I would just take a really deep breath and get in the proper position and promptly sink to the bottom. The real idiot floaters would say something stupid like “are you filling your lungs with air Marine!”. I had to really bite down hard on tongue to keep from being a smart ass.
I’ve heard of it and I’ve seen pictures and videos of it happening but in almost all of those situations it was a result of a storm. I did see one where these people were on some rocks on a nice calm day and suddenly a wave came in and grabbed some folks. No warning no storm no passing ship it just happened.
On rocks, sure; on a beach, no.
Good point. I wonder if it was an actual rip tide or a rouge wave?
I know it's off topic but they were fantastic and whenever i see St Simons Island mentioned they're the first thing I think of.
I was on Rockaway Beach, NY years ago (very rough there) and I was about 10 or 12. I went to the beach all the time, I wasn’t bold but I knew what was going on.
I’m in the surf, water just coming over my feet, and suddenly it was a though 2 hands grabbed my ankles and just pulled me right down on my keister. Very scary, I was fine of course, but it really showed me the power of the ocean.
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