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Teen's quick thinking helps in rescuing swimmer off Nags Head
A teenager who was just looking to catch some waves ended up helping save a life. A Raleigh woman caught it all in pictures, too.
Posted — UpdatedBy Julian Grace, WRAL anchor/reporter
NAGS HEAD, N.C. — A teenager who was just looking to catch some waves ended up helping save a life. A Raleigh woman caught it all in pictures, too.
Joel Luteran, 15, of St. Augustine, Fla., says he was just looking to catch some waves. He was participating in an Eastern Surfing Association competition when he heard a woman on the beach call out.
The flags on shore in Nags Head were red, warning swimmers to avoid the massive waves crashing on the sand. Luteran says he was eyeing them when he heard the woman. He said she wanted him to use his surfboard to help someone in the water.
Luteran said he didn't think twice and immediately paddled out into the Atlantic Ocean to help a man who needed assistance.
"I looked out and saw a guy with a lifeguard, and I just assumed they needed help," Lutheran said. "So I ran out there and paddled out and offered the guy my board then helped get him on the board and swim him in, making sure we avoided the pilings."
Once he made it to the swimmers, his knowledge in the water helped save a life. Luteran says he steered them away from the pier and to shore. The teen said he's been swimming since he was 3, which is how he knew what to do.
We asked what he did after the rescue. He said he turned around and went back out to catch his next wave.
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