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Olympic kite surfer stumbles upon a drowning woman while testing a new camera and saves her

The whole thing was captured on video.

Photo credit: Canva

A kite surfer rides the wind and waves.

Thanks to an Olympic kite surfer being in just the right place at just the right time, a woman in danger of drowning was discovered far from shore and rescued off the coast of Brazil. And thank to the kite surfer testing out a new camera on his board, the whole dramatic incident was captured on film.

Brazilian Olympian Bruno Lobo was out kite surfing off the coast of the city of São Luís, Brazil, on January 10, 2025, when he heard a cry for help. Soon he spotted a woman who was clearly struggling in the water. "I promptly approached her with the kite, tried to calm her down and asked her to climb on my back (as) she was very tired and had no strength," he wrote in an Instagram post where he shared the video. It appears she was far from shore and was unable to get back by herself.

“I was very surprised at that moment to see someone at that level in the sea, and when I recognized that she was drowning I promptly went in her direction to help,” Lobo told CNN Sport. He was able get her back to the shoreline where she was attended to by lifeguards.

Some people were confused about how the rescue was filmed. It looks like Lobo was using a 360 degree camera attached to the end of his board. The technology of these cameras allows for a view from all angles, usually with a stabilization feature that makes for a smooth result. In addition, layering images from two lenses eliminates seeing the stick that's attached to the camera, making it look like the camera was just hovering in the air.

It was Lobo's desire to test the camera that prompted him to go out that day. The woman, who has since been identified as Maria Eduarda, shared her thanks in the comments of Lobo's post:

"Words can't describe my gratitude! It was the salvation that God and my guides sent to me. I really could not handle it if I spent 5 minutes on the high sea even knowing how to swim and using anti-drowning techniques. Thank you very much and I wish you showers of blessings in your life!" Eduardo truly was fortunate, since Lobo had considered not going out that day due to the cloudiness.

The governor of the Brazilian state of Maranhão presented Lobo a medal of honor "in recognition of his act of bravery in saving the young Maria Eduarda," adding that the kite surfer "makes Maranhão proud in sport and in life."

The rescue is a good close-up illustration of how hard it is to see someone in the water, even when conditions are relatively calm. It's also a reminder that even strong swimmers can be pulled by strong currents and find themselves in a harrowing situation without warning. Some people shared that the Brazilian in particular can be dangerous.

"The rip tides along the entire coast of Brazil kill hundreds each year. Locals all know which beaches can be enjoyed under what conditions, but tourists have no idea."

"I was helicoptered out of a rip tide off the east coast of Brazil. This brings back memories."

"A tip from a native Floridian for tourists: Rip tides are narrow. If you find yourself being pulled out by a rip tide, swim parallel to the beach until you're out of the current and then swim to shore. You will never make it fighting directly against the current."

Lobo, who is an orthopedic surgeon in addition to being an Olympic kite surfer, also warned people to respect the water. "Stay alert about the danger of the sea, rivers and anywhere you don't know because the current in some places is usually very strong!" he wrote.

In reflecting on the events of that day and the interviews he fielded in the aftermath, Lobo said he was only doing his duty and that he felt he was being used as an instrument of divine intervention. "We don't explain how God does, but I know he has a purpose for each of us!" he wrote. "May we be instruments in His hand, to love others and to do good.☝🏻 🙏🏻"


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Heroic dog ran 4 miles to campsite, alerting injured owner's loved ones after roll-over car crash

Brandon Garrett was driving to a campsite with his four dogs when he missed a curve and rolled his truck down a steep embankment.

Photos courtesy of Baker County Sheriff's Office

Blue managed to make his way to camp after his owner crashed the truck they were traveling in.

The phrase "dog is a man's best friend" takes on a whole new meaning in a hero dog story coming out of the Pacific Northwest.

On the afternoon of June 2, 2024, Brandon Garrett was driving on a forest service road in Baker County, Oregon, when he lost control of his truck on a curve and tumbled down the steep embankment into a ravine. The 62-year-old was traveling with his four dogs to a camp nearly four miles from the scene of the accident.

One of those dogs, Blue, ran away from the crash site and headed to the familiar campsite where Garrett was scheduled to meet a friend that afternoon. When Garrett was late and then Blue showed up alone, with glass in his snout, the friend Garrett was supposed to meet knew something wasn't right.

Garrett's friends and family searched for him through the night and finally spotted his truck in the ravine in the morning. The steep, unstable terrain, however, made it impossible for them to reach the truck without rappelling gear.

Garrett's brother, Tyree Garrett, told the New York Times that he could see Garrett's injured dogs near the truck. He called out his brother's name but got no response. “It stopped my heart,” he said. “I just, God darn, thought for sure my brother was gone.”

white pickup truck on its side in a creek

Brandon Garrett's truck landed in a creek in a deep ravine.

Photo courtesy of Baker County Sheriff's Office

Tyree drove to where he could get a cell signal and called for help. First responders from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Baker County Search and Rescue, Pine Valley Rural Fire District and Halfway Ambulance all responded to the scene. Sheriff Travis Ash located the truck and one of Garrett's dogs in the ravine, but as he searched for a way down the embankment to access the creek, he heard a man's voice yelling for help.

Garrett had crawled about 100 yards from the vehicle, where he spent the night in the cold and pouring rain. Sheriff Ash made his way down the steep, brushy slope to where Garrett lay and began to administer first aid. Meanwhile, Pine Valley Rural Fire volunteers and U.S. Forest Service employees used chainsaws to clear a path for the rescue team.

rescue team setting up highline rope system

A highline rope system was used to bring Garrett to safety.

Photo courtesy of Baker County Sheriff's Office

Getting Garrett to safety and the medical care he needed was no easy feat due to the treacherous landscape and where he was located. Using the cleared path, the team was able to get a rescue basket to Garrett, and the Baker County Search and Rescue Ropes Team set up a highline rope system to transport him across the ravine after he was secured in it.

man being pulled in a rescue basket on ropes across a ravine

The search and rescue team pulled Garrett across the ravine in a rescue basket.

Photo courtesy of Baker County Sheriff's Office

Once he was safely across, Garrett was transported by ambulance to a Life Flight helicopter and then airlifted to a regional hospital.

"This was an incredibly technical rescue performed by Baker County Search and Rescue utilizing a highline rope system. BCSO was also grateful for Pine Valley Rural Fire Protection District, Halfway Ambulance, Life Flight and the U.S. Forest Service employees that provided assistance during the rescue," Baker County Sheriff's Office tells Upworthy. "This was truly a team effort!"

The sheriff's office also reports that Garrett has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home. According to the New York Times, Garrett had injured his ankle and his body was badly battered and bruised. All of the dogs survived the crash, one with a broken hip and an injured femur and another with leg broken in two spots.

But thanks to good boy Blue's memory and his making sure someone knew they needed help, everyone appears to be on the mend.

man with arms around a gray and white whippet dog

Good boy, Blue helped save his human.

Photo courtesy of Baker County Sheriff's Office

Find more images of the rescue on the Baker County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.


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Heroic train conductor spots and saves 3-year-old autistic, nonverbal boy lost on tracks

He was dangerously close to the third rail.

via MTA info/YouTube

An MTA employee rescues a 3-year-old child on the tracks.

Five Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees are hailed as heroes for their quick thinking and diligence in the April 6 rescue of a young boy. Locomotive Engineer William Kennedy was operating a southbound Hudson Line train near Tarrytown, a few miles north of New York City, when he noticed an unusual object on the northbound track.

That “object” was a 3-year-old boy.

Kennedy sent an emergency call out to all trains in the area, catching the attention of a northbound conductor, Shawn Loughran, and a trainee. Loughran slowed down his train as he approached the child, who was straddling the electrified third rail.

When the train screeched to a halt, Assistant Conductor Marcus Higgins didn't waste a second. Leaping down the tracks, he sprinted 40 yards ahead of the train, scooping up the young child like a guardian angel.

"The timing couldn't have been more perfect, you know. If it was a minute later [or] a minute sooner I wouldn't have seen him," Kennedy told Fox 5 New York, adding that if the child would have touched the third rail, he "would have been hurt really bad."

"Physically, he seemed ok, we didn't know at the time that he was autistic, non-verbal,” Higgins told Fox 5. When they got him off the tracks, Higgins says he “had a smile on his face."

Safely cradling the little one, Higgins whisked him on board the train, and the crew set off towards Tarrytown Station. When they arrived, they were greeted by MTAPD officers and Tarrytown EMS, ready to ensure the child's safety.

During the daring rescue, the boy's mother and sister frantically looked for the child. They were spotted by police sobbing on a street corner. The police put two and two together and reunited the boy with his family at the station. The mother told the MTA employees that the boy was autistic and nonverbal.

Five MTA employees were awarded commendations for their daring rescue of the boy.

mta, mta commendation, catherine rinaldi

MTA Metro-North President and Interim Long Island Rail Road President Catherine Rinaldi presents heroism commendations to Metro-North Assistant Conductor Marcus Higgins and Locomotive Engineer William Kennedy at the Railroad Committee meeting at Headquarters on Monday, Apr 24, 2023.

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA

“These fine team members embodied the qualities we want our employees to exhibit while on duty, alert, responsive, knowledgeable and helpful,” Metro-North Railroad President and Interim LIRR President Catherine Rinaldi said. “With the bravery and calm comportment of superheroes, they averted a horrific outcome and saw to it that this little boy was not going to become a statistic. We salute their efforts and compassion and heartily thank them for their dedication to the people we serve.”

chris fraina, max chong, mta

Chris Fraina (left) and Max Chong (right) are signal maintainers who saw the mother crying while on their way to work and, having heard about the found child, approached the mother. Reunion with the child followed at Tarrytown Station.

Photo credit: Rob Cervini/Metro-North Railroad

“Everybody’s quick thinking and the perfect timing allowed us to get this child off the tracks and back to his family,” Kennedy said in a statement. “In the heat of the moment, when you see a child in this situation, your first instinct is to make sure they’re safe,” Assistant Conductor Marcus Higgins said in a statement. “I’m glad our crew was there and able to help.”

“I’m just so happy it all worked out, and everything fell into place,” Locomotive Engineer Shawn Loughran said.

“It’s a great feeling knowing that we were able to help reunite this family,” Signal Maintainer Christopher Fraina said. “In those minutes that must have felt like hours to them, I’m so glad we were in the right place at the right time.”

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Eagle-eyed train passenger noticed an injured hiker in the woods. It saved her life.

She saw something. She said something.

via Pixabay

A rescue helicopter flying high above the wilderness.

A woman was riding Colorado’s Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Train on Monday, October 10, when she noticed a distressed person near a riverbed waving frantically to the train.

The Durango Herald noted that it was incredible the woman was spotted because she “could only be seen from a very limited and particular angle.”

The Office of Emergency Management, San Juan County Colorado said in a Facebook post that after the passenger noticed the woman she notified train staff who initiated an emergency response. The staff notified Delton Henry who was following behind the train in the inspection motor car.

Henry pulled up to where the woman was last seen, called to her across the riverbed and learned she had a broken leg and couldn’t move. A superintendent for the train called 911 to get help from the San Juan County Search and Rescue.

“The 911 operator very quickly asked me if we had the name of the individual,” D&SNG Superintendent Darren Whitten told The Durango Herald. “She explained to me that there had been a hiker that was overdue and had been missing since Saturday, and that her parents had been frantically looking for her.”

The twenty-something woman was from Aztec, New Mexico, and had been missing for two days. She fell off a 90-foot cliff while taking pictures, broke her leg and got a concussion. She had no idea how long she was unconscious after hitting her head. To stay warm at night she tucked herself into a cliff face.

The fact that she survived the ordeal is nothing short of a miracle. Temperatures in the area can get down to 20 degrees and she was wearing only a tank top. Further, the area is known for having wolves and mountain lions.

“It’s an amazing feat that she survived two nights in the cold snap we are having,” said emergency management spokeswoman DeAnne Gallegos. “Our team thought that was pretty miraculous. And that she was aware the train was still running, and managed with a broken leg to crawl to the bank of the river to try and signal them.”

According to NPR, Nick and Kylah Breedon, a married couple, were on the next D&SNG train coming through the area and it stopped where the injured woman was located and they hopped off with emergency supplies. A CareFlight helicopter was called to the scene to airlift the injured woman but it couldn’t reach the area. So rescuers created a rope system to carry her across the river on a backboard. They were then able to get her to the helicopter that transported her to Montrose Hospital. Her condition has not been made public.

The Office of Emergency Management thanked the railroad staff for its help on Facebook.

“Silverton and San Juan County would like to thank the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad for their support and partnership in this successful search and rescue mission. Another person in a moment of need was successfully brought home due to teamwork and collaboration.”

It also thanked the Breedons for their heroism.

“We would like to thank Kylah with the @dsngrr for her bravery on our Monday Search & Rescue call. Her husband Nick was also there and supporting the injured missing hiker as well. Not all hero’s wear capes but these two are now honorary @silverton_medical_rescue team members.”

The rescue is a wonderful effort that involved a lot of people coming together to help one injured hiker. But it all started with one person who was paying attention, saw something and said something.

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