Man Uses Drone to Save Teen Swept Away by Rip Current in Florida (X @GabGarrett)
A man named Andrew Smith used his drone, usually employed to spot sharks, to save a teenage girl who was drowning at Pensacola Beach, Florida, United States.
He had gone to the beach at night to fish with friends when he noticed the commotion. The girl was being dragged by a strong rip current, and no one around, including Smith himself, knew how to swim.
Faced with the situation, he had the idea of attaching a flotation device to the drone and flying it out to the girl. On the first attempt, he failed to release it in the right spot due to strong winds. Knowing that time was critical, he tried again with the help of another buoy given by a stranger. With more care and precision, he managed to deliver the device to the girl, who was able to hold on until rescuers arrived.
The rescue was captured on video, and lifeguards said that without Smith’s quick thinking, the girl would likely have drowned. Smith was emotional about the situation and said he almost cried from the stress during the rescue.
Source: New York Post | Photo: X @GabGarrett | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
a fishing drone helped save a girl in my town from drowning the other day
she was getting pulled out by a riptide. at every beach access in Pensacola they’ve installed these posts with yellow rescue buoys on them. someone spotted her and a kid with a fishing drone happened to be… pic.twitter.com/Apx7ROaXA0
— Gabriel Garrett (@GabGarrett) May 18, 2025
