Two teenage girls spent 16 hours stranded at sea after drifting off the Florida coast on an inflatable paddleboard.
Sometimes we find ourselves stuck in situations where we don’t know what to do or where to go. It can feel like help is far away and no one sees us.
But even then, God is near. He watches over us, even when we can’t see a way out. Stories like this remind us that He is always in control, guiding and protecting us through the storms.
A Quick Trip Turns Dangerous
On March 17, two 16-year-old friends, Avery Bryan and Eva Aponte, set out on what should have been a quick half-mile paddle from Atsena Otie Key to Cedar Key, Florida.
But the weather shifted and strong winds pushed them far from shore. They wore no life jackets and had no supplies. The inflatable paddleboard was only meant for calm waters.
“Only an intervention from the Good Lord above could have saved those girls,” said Lieutenant Scott Tummond of the Levy County Sheriff’s Office. He praised the decisions the teens made while lost at sea, saying, “What Mom and Dad taught them—it stuck.”
Stranded in the Cold and Darkness
The girls quickly realized they were in trouble. With cold air temperatures and the sea swelling up to six feet, the situation was life-threatening.
“We were both out there in 40-degree weather with sweatshirts on and shorts,” said Aponte in an interview. “Throughout the night, both of us had trouble keeping our hearts beating.”
They clung to the paddleboard and kept each other’s spirits alive by singing songs like ‘How Far I’ll Go’ from Moana and ‘Get Back Up Again’ from Trolls. They also went through the alphabet naming animals, trying to stay mentally alert.
When it grew dark and the water temperatures dropped into the high 30s, they wrung out their wet clothes, put them back on, and huddled close to stay warm.
At some point, they drifted into a shallow marsh lined with razor-sharp oyster shells. Aponte’s hand was cut open trying to move around.
Barefoot and exhausted, they knew they had to stay with the board.
“That’s the reason they are alive,” said Gary Bartell, a marina owner who later helped rescue them. Tummond added, “These girls were smart. Every decision they made 100% increased their chances of survival.”
Search Teams Work Through the Night
Rescuers searched through the night. Law enforcement and volunteers covered the water by boat.
As morning broke on March 18, Captain Will Pauling, along with Alex Jefferies and Russell Coon, joined the civilian rescue teams.
“As we’re moving along, Alex saw something on shore and said, ‘Hey, that looks like a raft,’” said Coon.
When they turned the boat toward it, the girls stood up and waved.
“They had seen the helicopter fly over three times,” Jefferies said, but they couldn’t reach it due to the sharp shells and their bare feet. “They were just hoping that it would go over the top of them,” added Coon.
A Safe Rescue
Once rescued, the girls were taken to the boat ramp in Bartell’s airboat, where his 8-year-old son Brody offered them Lucky Charms treat bars, which were “immediately scarfed down.”
Bartell noted, “They got very quiet when I asked about what happened, so I started joking around with them. That’s when they really started to relax.”
The girls were transported by ambulance to a local hospital where they were treated for hypothermia and dehydration before being discharged on March 20.
Avery’s relative Jennifer wrote, “Of all the unthinkable things that could happen; God was there and showed us that miracles do still happen and prayers are powerful.”
This story is a strong reminder of how quickly life can turn. But it also shows us how much God watches over us. The rescue, the teamwork, and the faith of the families all came together in a way that no one can ignore.
Let us also lift Avery and Eva in prayer as they continue to heal, and pray for the many unseen heroes who answered the call to help.
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