LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - "It was something out of a fairy tale, being saved by a mermaid," said scuba diver Javier Claramunt.
A man was diving off Catalina Island with his father and friend Pablo Avila last weekend. Toward the end of their dive, Pablo lost consciousness.
They are highly well-trained and experienced divers, so both jumped into action and began rescuing their buddy. A few moments later, after they started heading to their friend, many mermaids appeared around them.
Yes, you read that correctly, mermaids.
Fortunately, a group of women was training nearby for the advanced PADI mermaid rescue course. It was not long before they noticed a diver was in trouble.
A woman named Elaina Marie Garcia, a highly experienced scuba diver and instructor, shares that the sport has become so popular – swimming with a mermaid tail – that large groups have formed. However, this is about much more than wearing seashell bras and holding your breath.
She runs the group out of Catalina, and it just so happens that they can see that Pablo is in distress as they practice rescue scenarios.
The group swam to the divers and got Pablo’s gear off to give him mouth-to-mouth. He was towed back to the stair entry at Casino Point, where paramedics were waiting.
Once Pablo was taken to the island, he was put in a decompression chamber, where he later regained consciousness.
"We had seen the mermaids before starting our dive," Javier said. "And were thinking how cute they were. Little did we know how well-trained they really are."
Both Javier and Pablo have been diving since the 1970s. They are highly trained themselves, so they are very familiar with rescues.
"It’s not just blowing bubbles," Elaina said. "It’s hard work, but it’s worth it!"
Pablo is recuperating well and knows his buddies would have probably gotten him to shore just fine. Now, he can now brag about being saved by mermaids.
Source: Fox11