VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — What started out as a fun day of surfing for two Kellam High School students turned into an effort to save someone's life.
When Ian Arnett and Kellen Good were enjoying a beautiful day in the Sandbridge section of Virginia Beach, they noticed something.
"We were down at Little Island right by the pier... the waves were pretty rough. There's these guys waving us down on the beach—our initial thought was a shark because those are pretty common down by the pier," said Ian.
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They thought someone was trying to warn them to get out of the water, but as Ian soon learned, it wasn't that.
"We were paddling right back in. We caught a wave and then we looked to our side and there's these guys swimming out to this dude who is face down in the water," said Ian. "That was pretty shocking to see."
Ian says he jumped into action.
"I think I was the closest near him. So I decided to run over, decided to paddle over and go grab him," he explained.
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Meanwhile, Kellen was rushing to call for professional help.
"I knew I wasn't going to get to him and Ian already had him in time, so my first thought was to swim to the shore and get someone to call 911," Kellen said. "In CPR class, another thing they tell you is to make sure someone is calling 911 so there are professionals on the scene."
While that was happening, Ian had pulled the man onto his surfboard.
"[I gave him] a good, firm hit on the back. I believe he coughed up a little bit of water. We credit our coach Ross Benzel in CPR class our freshmen year," said Ian.
Benzel, their wrestling coach and PE instructor, taught that CPR class. Taking the class is a Virginia Beach City Public Schools graduation requirement.
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Ian said the tip he learned in class worked and they never had to perform CPR on the man.
"When he got to the shore, he was barely breathing, but breathing enough on his own. So we just sat him upright, covered him from the sun," Ian said.
So how did these seniors remember a class they took as freshmen?
"I guess it was just a little bit of instinct, a little bit of adrenaline kinda kicked in," Ian said.
Kellen added, "A big credit to that is us wrestling. We get in these situations where you're in high-stakes matches and a lot of things are on the line. So I think us being in those high-stakes matches allowed us to be more comfortable..."
Ian is grateful they went surfing that day so they could help the man.
"[We're] relieved! I mean if we weren't there, it could've been a different case."
"It is crazy to think that we weren't planning on going that day," Kellen added.
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Fortunately, they did. For how they responded, we presented them with a News 3 Everyday Hero award along with a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner Southern Bank. They were very appreciative and thankful.
Their principal, Dr. Ryan Schubart, said he's proud of his students.
"They're remarkable! I would imagine it was something that stuck out to them in that class but for me, it's just about doing the right thing and that's something that instilled in them by their parents," he said.
A Virginia Beach EMS official tells me that this story is a powerful reminder of what can happen when people take the time to learn CPR and don't forget how to use it.
If you're looking for information on CPR training, click here.
