An off-duty lifeguard in Florida is being lauded for rescuing nine swimmers in distress who were swept out by a rip current over the weekend.
According to a report from FOX 13 in Tampa, off-duty Sarasota County Fire Department Lifeguard Mariano Martinez stepped into action on Saturday afternoon when strong thunderstorms created dangerous conditions at Lido Beach.
I heard in the tran.smission that two people were in distress,” Martinez said.
Despite being off-duty, Martinez, a six-year veteran lifeguard for Sarasota County with 15 more years of experience of lifeguarding in his home country of Argentina in South America, sprang into action.
