Two off-duty Marion County Sheriff’s Office lieutenants came to the rescue of a stranded diver while on vacation in the Florida Keys.
MCSO Lieutenants David Woolf and Eric Thoresen had traveled to the Florida Keys for a fishing trip, and they were boating approximately six miles offshore when Woolf noticed something in the water around a quarter of a mile away.
“I thought I saw what might be a bird down on the water flapping its wings,” stated Woolf. “Like it was injured.” The lieutenant immediately turned the boat around and headed in that direction.
As the boat got closer, Thoresen realized that it was actually a man in the water who was in distress and drifting away from land. A current had swept him away from his boat, which was later found around two miles away.
The lieutenants were in the right place at the right time to rescue the diver, and he was safely returned in good health to his boat.
“Call it luck, call it being vigilant even on their days off, call it whatever you want,” stated the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in a social media post. “We may just call it a miracle. We know our deputies are willing to go above and beyond at work as they serve Marion County and, in instances like this, we find their commitment extends to their days off… in other counties…6 miles offshore.”
After rescuing the diver, Lieutenants Woolf and Thoresen resumed their fishing trip and managed to catch a few fish by the end of the day.