A Florida sheriff's deputy leaned into his lifeguard training to rescue a drowning swimmer in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this month.
The incident happened June 1 when Okaloosa County deputies responded to reports of two people caught in a rip current in the Gulf behind a condo complex in Destin, the sheriff's office said. Several bystanders tried to go in the water to help, but they were warned that it was too dangerous.
When Deputy David Bazylak’s reached the scene, he pulled a rescue can from his vehicle and ran down the beach to locate the swimmers. Once he spotted them, he saw that a man appeared to be on a sand bar, while a woman was still trying to swim against the current.
With no lifeguards on duty, Bazylak used the lifeguard he picked up through several years with the Beach Unit and rushed into the water after removing his gear. He reached the woman and kept her head above water as he tried to calm her.
Bazylak towed the woman back, and they were met by a firefighter with a rescue board to get safely back to shore. The woman was exhausted and suffered from water inhalation.
Bazylak earned the sheriff's office's Life Saving Award for his actions.
"Due to Deputy Bazylak’s quick reactions and dedication to his job, he successfully prevented a tragedy from occurring," the sheriff's office stated.
