Mother and Son Saved After Drifting Out to Sea on Inflatable Swan
A mother from Florida is warning other parents after she and her son were set adrift on the Gulf of Mexico on an large inflatable swan.
Tara Myers and her 7-year-old son have spent a lot of time on the Gulf. On their October 21st trip to Anna Maria Island, they launched an inflatable swan in what they thought were calm waters.
Shortly after, the mother and son were carried about a mile out to sea by the current. "I was not sure if we were going to keep drifting because land just kept getting farther and farther and farther away," Tara told WFLA.
Tara tried to paddle back to shore, but the waves were too strong. They were stranded for more than an hour before a West Manatee Fire Rescue boat was able to rescue them. Luckily for the mother and son, some people on the beach witnessed what happened and called 911.
Once they made it to shore, Tara used her son's shark's tooth necklace to puncture the swan and deflate it. A firefighter then disposed of it in a dumpster.