"In the first moment, you are only thinking, ‘save the people’."
Though a lot of skill and training is necessary to be a lifeguard, some people also bring a lot of passion to the job.
“When I moved to the United States from Argentina, I came here with one dream-working on the beach in lifeguarding,” said 49-year-old Sarasota County lifeguard Mariano Martinez.
Lifeguard Appreciation Day on July 31 is an opportunity to recognize people like Martinez, who saved seven swimmers in distress after a rip current carried them more than 200 yards into the Gulf of Mexico last summer.
Martinez was off-duty, hanging out at the beach with a friend, when he got the call telling him swimmers were in distress.
“I had to swim back four times because I had only one rescue element with me," Martinez said. "When I finished the rescue with the last two people, fire rescue was on the beach checking people."
Martinez received the Medal of Valor from the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) and was named Lifeguard of the Year by the state of Florida.
Read more at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune