Surfer couple jump into action to save elderly swimmers struggling off Belmar coast
Casey Flaherty and her boyfriend, Alex Rosenthal, were waiting in the car to take her little sister to surf practice when they noticed an elderly couple struggling in the water near 11th Avenue.
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A young couple of professional surfers were not planning to get in the water on Wednesday, but they had no other option when they saw a couple struggling in the ocean off the coast of Belmar.
Casey Flaherty and her boyfriend, Alex Rosenthal, were waiting in the car to take her little sister to surf practice when they noticed an elderly couple struggling in the water near 11th Avenue.
They put all their skills into action. Flaherty, who is also a lifeguard, described ripping off her shirt and shorts and running to the back of her car to grab her surfboard and then running right into the water to save the couple.
Flaherty says that she noticed others trying to help the couple, but that the rip current made it impossible.
“I thought he was going to go on cardiac arrest, and I think he was like in panic, and I don’t think his heart could even take all of that swimming,” Flaherty says.
Once they made it to shore, paramedics were ready to assist.
“He looked at me, kissed me on the cheek and said thank you for saving my life,” Flaherty says.
Talk about being at the right place at the right time.
