VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — What was supposed to be a fun day at the beach turned much more serious on a recent day off from school for two teenagers.
Ian Arnett and Kellen Good, seniors at Kellam High School, went surfing on their day off from school on Sept. 6 at Little Island Park in Sandbridge.
The pair had surfed for over an hour near the pier, and were about a football field's length away from land, when they realized a group onshore was waving them down.
At first, they thought someone saw a shark. But then they realized, about halfway between them and the beach, a man was floating face down in the water.
"Adrenaline just kicked in, I guess,” Arnett said. While Good headed to shore to make sure someone called 911, Arnett pulled the man onto his surfboard and firmly hit him on the back, which made the man cough up water and take a breath.
Arnett had learned the CPR technique from his physical education teacher and wrestling coach, Ross Benzel.
The students moved the man onto the shore with help from onlookers, and a nurse who happened to be on the beach assisted with further CPR until the paramedics arrived.
Virginia Beach EMS Chief Jason Stroud thanked the Kellam students for their quick thinking.
"If not for these two students, there could have been a very different and tragic outcome," he said.
But their principal, Ryan Schubart, said the students remained humble, "seeking no recognition for their heroic acts."
“We were in the right place at the right time,” Good said.
