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Caught on Cam: Boy rescued from water during rip current warning

HUNTING ISLAND, S.C. (WSAV) – A 10-year-old boy learned a valuable lesson on the dangers of getting into the water during a riptide warning.

He had to be rescued off Hunting Island Thursday, and it was all captured with drone video.

Benjie Gecy was out surfing despite rip current warnings.

He says hurricanes out in the Atlantic bring the best waves.

“Some of the best waves that I’ve seen, ever, I’ve been surfing 32 years around here,” he says.

But Amanda Jaques and her son Henry did not enjoy the waves for long.

“I could feel us both drifting, and I knew that we were in danger. I knew I wasn’t strong enough to save both of us,” she said.

“I thought I heard somebody yelling for help,” said Gecy. “I really couldn’t see because we were in the breakers, and had dozens of surfers out there, but I did hear somebody yelling for help and they were waving their arms.”

Gecy started swimming towards those arms, and his brother, Bobby, fired up his drone.

“I saw a child 50 to 60 yards out past the lineup pass the jetty and I knew that somebody is potentially in a lot of trouble,” Gecy said. “Every wave that came through I could not see him. I would see him again, he was off the board you know, which like he was going under water and drowning. He was just trying to stroke, but he was not going anywhere.”

Gecy eventually got to Henry, caught their breath and brought him safely back to shore.

“I have had a lot of people ask you know, why would you allow your 10-year-old son into the water during a hurricane, why were you out there? Because we’re local. The same reason there were over thirty surfers in the water that day to experience this beauty. This one keeps us out of the water. We’ll be back in as soon as the storm passes,” said Jaques.

After the rescue, Gecy had an extra surf board that he gave to Henry, who is now looking forward to learning how to surf from his new friend.