Anthony Yates
A veteran surfer is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a father and son caught in a powerful rip tide.
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What happened: According to a report by FOX 35, the experienced 72-year-old surfer sprang into action on New Smyrna Beach in Florida on August 26.
- The outlet reveals the surfer is David “Bean” Coffee. He told FOX 35 that he’s been an avid surfer since 1965. “I started hearing two people screaming for their lives,” Coffee recalled. “Help! Somebody help me, there’s gotta be someone, help!” he reportedly heard.
- Coffee told the outlet that the strength of the current meant it took him 10 minutes to reach the son. He was in his 20s and had lost his surfboard in the current. “I grabbed his hair and I pulled him up. When I pulled him up, I got him up and laid him on the side of my surfboard,” Coffee explained.
- The veteran surfer paddled the man to the shore to safety before taking to the waves again to rescue his father.
The Veteran Surfer Offered Advice For Novice Surfers
The right place at the right time: Coffee told FOX 35 he was just in the right place at the right time. He also joked that once he retires his board, he will display it among his favorites.
- Coffee clearly loves surfing, but he did have a precautionary message for others who enjoy the sport. “If you’re going to surf, and surfing is great, have a lot of fun. If you don’t see a lifeguard, don’t go out.”
Currents can be deceptive: In July 2025, the family of a 19-year-old surfer called the police after he never returned home. A search and rescue team marooned on a small landmass, aptly named North Solitary Island, eight miles from the shore.
- Darcy Deefholts went out surfing, leaving his clothes at an access point on a beach in Wooli, Australia. His father, Terry Deefholts, admitted he was thinking, “the absolute worst.”
- A massive search effort ensued. Melissa Smith, a family member, told reporters, “He’d obviously gone out too far on his longboard, and he couldn’t get back. He’s a survivor, a strong boy, he would have known that was a safe place, I guess.”
- Rescuers say that despite his ordeal, Darcy was cold and suffering from exposure but was otherwise unharmed.
