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They say not all heroes wear capes. This one certainly doesn't - he wears a wedding band instead, and maybe some board shorts.
Zac Edwards, 37, was posing for photographs with his new bride Cindy Edwards, 32, on the beach in Alabama USA, when a woman screamed after spotting a teenager getting into difficulties in the water.
The newlywed marine science technician didn't think twice before diving straight into the water in Orange Beach, and swam out 150 feet to rescue the 18-year-old man.
Edwards was supported by his new bride Cindy, who urged him to just jump straight into the sea in his wedding trousers to speed up the rescue attempt.
Speaking to Fox 10, she said:
A lady had come up to us and said that guy is out there struggling. He can’t get back, he’s having a hard time.
And he goes to start taking his shirt off and he went off to take off his bottoms and I was like ‘you don’t have time’.
The teenager had got into trouble after being pulled out by strong currents on a boogie board at Shell Beach in Gulf State Park at 6pm on August 3, reports The Metro.
Zac reached the teenager and propped him up on a boogie board in order to keep his head above water.
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Speaking about the incident, he said:
Cindy and I were taking our photos together by the water and we were just wrapping them up when a woman told us there was a teenager in the water struggling.
You could just tell by the look on his face he was in difficulty. When we first saw him he was about 50 yards out.
I took off my shirt, but my wife said I didn't have time to take off my pants.
I ran into the water. I told some kids to go back to the beach and I took a boogie board. I'm so glad I did that. I eventually reached him but we were about half a football field away from the shore.
He just kept saying “I can’t breathe”.
I tried to keep his head above water and I propped him up onto the boogie board.
He continued:
The current was really strong and it was stopping us coming in any further.
I was starting to panic slightly. The pants were making it hard to kick too.
But when I saw the first responders I knew it was going to be okay. A jet ski came out to us and I managed to wedge him up onto it.
I didn’t really take in the gravity of the situation until I laid down that night. Afterwards my hands were shaking but the adrenaline was just pumping.
Cindy added:
I wasn't panicked until they were swimming back in. I could tell Zac was tiring and they couldn't get over the current.
They had stopped and I was worried. Thank God the first responders arrived. The life guards dived into the water and there were helicopters patrolling the waters. Our emergency services in Orange Beach can't be commended enough.
Luckily, the teenager recovered, and Zac and Cindy are emphatic about how important it is for people to practice safety when they're at the beach. The couple, who have three children, say they're always extremely cautious when they see the hazard flag flying on the beach.
Picture: (SWNS )
Zac commented:
I think people underestimate the ocean. It wasn’t his fault at all but it was a red flag day.
People don’t read the signs and swimmers need to be very cautious. Even experienced swimmers can get into difficulty.
I wouldn’t let my kids go more than knee deep on a red flag day.
After officiating the ceremony, Pastor Glenn Henson commended Zac's incredible display of bravery:
It was incredible. The fact that this man took time out of his special day to save someone else was really special.
HT LadBible
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