22 May 2025

A Pensacola Beach fisherman who uses a drone to cast bait was able to catch a far more valuable prize by saving a teenaged girl trapped in a riptide.

Initially, Andrew Smith wasn't planning to go fishing after work on May 18. But a young girl possibly owes her life to the fact Smith decided to hit the beach after all.

When a hysterical girl said her friend was trapped in the current and asked if anyone could swim out to rescue her, everyone nearby said they could not. Kind of an amazing bit of bad luck—especially as no life guards were on duty.

Smith can't swim, either, but he told the girl that his drone could get to the now-flailing swimmer.

He attached a flotation device to his drone and sent it approximately 100 yards out to the teenager.

"I was shaking pretty badly," he said. "It was nerve-wracking."

The first rescue attempt was unsuccessful, as Smith misjudged the winds and dropped the lifesaver far off the mark. 

"It was a terrible miss," said Smith.

Happily, someone gave Smith a second flotation device. At this point, the girl had been battling the current for approximately five minutes.

"I lowered it until you could see her hands grab it," said Smith. "Then, I lowered it a little more and released it. She climbed on and started floating."

The drone was responsible for a joyous ending, as the girl was able to use the flotation device until first responders rescued her. The police, EMTs, and lifeguards now on the scene estimated the teen would not have survived if not for the second drone "rescue mission."

See the Rescue