Child is pulled unconscious from ocean in Florida as heroic lifeguards speak out

Another dramatic rescue of a young life has taken place this summer as strong ocean waves and powerful tides continue to prove challenging for vacationers and travelers.

Two lifeguards at Silver Beach in Volusia County, Florida, are being credited with lifesaving action on July 30. 

Lifeguard Dempsey Manhart was just about to take his lunch break, he said, when the family of a young child flagged him down, frantically waving for help, as FOX 35 Orlando reported.

CALIFORNIA LIFEGUARD SPEAKS OUT ON HEARTSTOPPING OCEAN RESCUE: ‘I LOVE WHAT I DO’ 

The boy was unconscious and was being held in the arms of a family member, Manhart recalled. 

He began helping to bring the boy in from the water when his co-lifeguard, Mackenzie Malone, arrived beside him and checked the boy’s pulse — at which point the lifeguards immediately began CPR on the child. 

Malone, who’s been working as a lifeguard for her fourth summer, told FOX 35 this was the first time she experienced saving a child from drowning. 

“We’re always expecting anything,” she said. “We’re always prepared. We always make sure that we know what to do no matter what the scenario is.” 

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She said the moment her co-lifeguard shouted to her that he was going on a rescue, “I knew that it was going to be serious.”

Then everything kicked up a notch. 

Swimmers are pictured enjoying the Atlantic Ocean at Hollywood Beach, Florida. Another dramatic rescue of someone struggling in the ocean this summer has just taken place.  (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

“The moment I saw that [the child] was unconscious, that he had a wound on his head … I knew that it was going to be something big.” 

The duo began performing CPR on the child.

In short order, he began breathing on his own again. 

A lifeguard (not pictured) in her fourth summer on the job said the rescue marked the first time she had saved a child from drowning. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Malone later said her lifeguarding and life-saving training kicked in. 

“Thankfully, it ended up in a positive direction,” she told FOX 35. “I’m just very grateful that [with] everything we followed, it worked out and that [the boy] actually is able to have a life and come home to a family.” 

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The lifeguards said they hope the rescue of the child provides a reminder for beachgoers to swim near staffed lifeguard towers — where trained responders can provide immediate assistance in an emergency.

“Heroes!! I am grateful to learn just how well-trained beach lifeguards are,” wrote a Facebook user about the Florida beach rescue. 

Mackenzie Malone, pictured here, described jumping into action to save a boy who nearly drowned in the ocean recently. She was one of the lifeguards responsible for saving the child’s life.  (FOX 35 WOFL)

Volusia County is about 50 miles northeast of Orlando, in the east-central region of Florida. 

“God bless their strength,” wrote another person. 

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Digital previously reported that Los Angeles County lifeguards performed nearly 2,000 ocean rescues during a single weekend this summer as elevated surf and dangerous rip currents swept Southern California beaches. 

Officials have encouraged visitors to speak with lifeguards about ocean conditions before entering the water.

Lifeguards and water safety experts continue reminding beachgoers to check ocean conditions before entering the water. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Swimmers caught in a rip current are advised not to fight it. 

Instead, they should remain calm, swim parallel to the shoreline until they escape the current, then angle back toward shore, according to the National Weather Service.

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Those who cannot escape should float or tread water and signal for help.

Andrea Margolis of Digital contributed reporting.