A pair of Floridian teenagers who survived being lost at sea for 16 hours on an inflatable paddleboard have recounted their harrowing experience.
Avery Bryan and Eva Aponte, both 16, had decided to spend time together relaxing on the open water after realizing low tide had finally arrived.
However, tragedy struck when the fast-moving current stopped them from returning home safely.
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The pair, unable to make it back to the shore, were forced to drift without provisions for 16 hours.
Speaking to Inside Edition last month about their horrific experience, the survivors detailed why they’d decided to take a trip on the paddleboard in the first place.
“It was low-tide out and the water looked pretty nice and smooth. We decided ‘Oh, it’s a great time to go to the sand bar because we can see it’,” Bryan and Aponte told interviewer Les Trent, 63.
“We walked in hip-deep and then got on the board and started paddling,” Aponte explained.
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Soon, the two realized their lives were ‘absolutely 100 percent’ in danger after encountering strong tides preventing them from returning home.
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“We were both out there in 40-degree weather with sweatshirts on and shorts on the water. I mean, throughout the night, both of us had trouble keeping our hearts beating.”
Due to plunging temperatures, the girls were worried about their health. In an effort to stay alive, the duo decided to lie on top of one another to keep warm.
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During their 16-hour drift, the pair floated to an oyster bed filled with razor-sharp shells that actually cut open Aponte’s hand.
Realizing their children had not returned from their trip, the teenagers' parents contacted police and the Coast Guard, launching a ‘desperate’ search and recovery.
Civilians with boats were quickly called upon to aid the rescue effort, including four men who eventually came upon the girls.
One of the rescuers, Gary Bartell, told Inside Edition that Bryan and Aponte being on a paddleboard changed the game where their efforts were concerned.
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“That changed the whole perspective on where to search in our heads,” he told the broadcaster.
“Knowing that with an inflatable object like that you’re going to follow the wind pattern less than the current pattern.”
After just 30 minutes of searching, Bartell, Will Pauling and two other rescuers happened upon the stranded pair.
“I remember they asked us: ‘Are you two the missing girls?’ and I was like ‘I think so? What’s their names?’”.
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Bryan and Aponte, who were apparently too weak to stand, were carried to safety before being rushed to hospital.
Inside the medical institution, they were treated for ‘hypothermia and dehydration’, reports E Online.
A GoFundMe has since been set up to help contribute to Bryan and Aponte’s medical bills, with the former’s relative Jennifer writing: “Of all the unthinkable things that could happen; God was there and showed us that miracles do still happen and prayers are powerful.
“I am raising money to help with medical bills that are starting to come in after Avery and Eva were rescued last month.
"They are both expected to make a full recovery, but will still need time and prayers.
“We are all grateful for the support that came in overwhelmingly from people around the nation, the Cedar Key community, and all the law enforcement and rescue teams who responded.”
She added that any money raised over what is needed for medical bills would be donated to ‘directly help in the community of Cedar Key.’
$2,230 of the fundraiser’s $6,500 goal has currently been raised by kind citizens.
Ella Scott