CEDAR KEY, Fla. (WSVN) — Two 16-year-old girls who went missing off the coast of Cedar Key during a spring break trip reunited with the first responders who helped save their lives.
Avery Bryan and her friend Eva Aponte were riding an inflatable paddleboard when they became lost, floating in the water 14 miles away from where they started their trip.
Rescue crews were searching for the pair for nearly 16 hours.
The girls said they lost their shoes at one point, as they endured a cold and windy night while crews continued searching the area.
“That was probably the worst of it, having the wind blow on you and being cold,” Bryan said.
Aponte and Bryan said they got through the ordeal by joking with each other, singing songs and praying, trying to keep each other awake through the night.
“Her song selections were ‘Just Keep Swimming.’ What was the other one? There was one from ‘Moana,’ ‘How Far I’ll Go,'” Bryan said.
Russ Coon, Will Pauling and Alex Jeffries were part of the team of first responders and volunteers searching for the teens.
Coon said he appreciated the recognition, but it was all part of their job to find the girls.
“I’m very surprised at all the recognition we’ve got for just doing what we did. You know, it was simple to us, but apparently it was a big deal to everybody else,” Coon said.
Aponte’s mother, Melissa, was overwhelmed with emotion as she thanked her daughter’s rescuers.
“I can’t even tell you, it was just wonderful,” she said.
Both teens have fully recovered from their ordeal.
“We’ve had a miracle answered, a lot of prayers answered for Avery and Eva,” Lake County Sheriff Bobby McCallum said.
The girls grew up together, but said surviving through that night together has made them lifelong friends.
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