Drone pilot Kevin Cadby was out capturing footage of the water and boats at Jupiter Inlet, like he sometimes does, when he spotted a boat in the distance coming towards shore in rough seas.
He decided to follow the boat with his drone because of the conditions.
“The wind was blowing in at 20+ miles per hour, that inlet can be treacherous,” said Cadby.
Cadby noticed a giant wave coming up from behind the boat that ended up causing the boat to sink within a matter of seconds. A man in a red shirt can be seen trying to get out of the boat and to safety as he tries to stay afloat.
He swims towards some rocks for safety shortly before 13-year-old, Sam Ruskin, paddles up on his surfboard and offers the man his board to get back to land.
Cadby kept a lookout with his drone to make sure there were no other people on the boat that might need help.
“My first concern was to make sure nobody else was on the boat.”
Ruskin didn’t waster a second on paddling out to help the man in any way he could, either.
“Just speaks about his character,” Ruskin’s father says of his quick action. “He didn’t even blink an eye, jumped off his board, handed it to a grown man, saved his life. Came back and said, ‘Hey what’s for dinner dad?'”
