ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — When Rick Cross and his wife were going for a bike ride on St. Simons Island Thursday afternoon, never did they expect to see what they saw.
“You could just see the paddle waving from above the marsh,” Cross said. “I couldn’t believe what I was watching.”
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed with Action News Jax that 71-year-old Brenda Bonnell was out kayaking near the Village Creek boat ramp when she got separated from her group.
Cross spoke with Bonnell’s family.
“It went to low tide and so she got stuck out in the marsh,” Cross said. “Soon, you could hear the police trying to figure out what to do and they called the Coast Guard.”
Coast Guard station Brunswick was notified and sent a helicopter to rescue Bonnell.
“The Coast Guard helicopter showed up. A rescue swimmer went down on a cable, and they sent down a basket that they put her in and raised her back up in the helicopter,” Cross said.
The Coast Guard reports that Bonnell was all smiles when she was rescued and did not need medical assistance. For Cross, he’s just happy she is ok.
“My wife and I were both really relieved because you can see her waving back to the people on shore,” Cross said. “You don’t really see things like this in St. Simons very often.”
The U.S. Coast Guard said they flew Bonnell to the St. Simons Island airport, where she was reunited with her husband.
Action News Jax was unsuccessful in reaching out to Bonnell for a comment.
Watch the full rescue below:
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