Surfer Angel

From: Rob Sarver (rob30phx@yahoo.com)
Story type: Angel
Location: La Jolla, CA
Source: Form Submission
Date submitted: Wed Dec  1 19:35:39 2010

This happened to me in the spring of 1998 while serving in the NAVY as an AW/SAR rescue swimmer. I have not talked about this story very much and I do not come from a religious background. After this incident, I realized that there is in fact a God in heaven and His Angels protect us in many different ways, shapes, and forms. I'm alive today because of this fact.

I was stationed on the Naval Air Station, North Island, Coronado, CA at the time. My roomate, Eric Gonzalez had been trying to get me into body boarding with him on our days off from training. I agreed to give it a try, so he took me to a local thrift store where I purchased a very cheesy styrofoam body board with no leash attached in order to "fit in" with him. We headed for a beach in La Jolla, CA called SCRIPPS. This was some oceonography training area open to the public and is a very popular and beautiful beach. We arrived at the beach around noon or so and by this time the beach was pretty crowded. This bothered me because the other surfers apparently think of body boarders as a nuissance especially the rookies like me. I sucked it up and gave it a shot over and over again without very much success despite Eric's patient instruction. I didnt have a wet suit, and would continually lose my board in the relentless waves due to not having a leash attached to my ankle. Needless to say I gave it up after a few hours of fetching the washed up board everytime and we headed back to base.

The following day I decided I'd give it another shot on my own this time as a "die hard" body boarder, and left Eric asleep in the room. I was going to get this down. Furthermore, I decided I'd get there around 6 AM to avoid the crowds watching me fail over and over.

I arrived at the beach and was very happy to find that my truck was the only one in the large parking lot area. Even better, there wasn't a soul to be seen anywhere on or along the beach for as long as my eye could see. No one in the water and no lifeguards on duty at the nearby tower. Just my dinky board with no leash, my shorts and me. I was excited and nervous because the waves seemed much bigger now, but entered the water anyway.

I duck dived and paddled my heart out like Eric taught me and was able to get to the sweet spot where the swells begin. I waited for the right moment and a large swell formed, so I took off paddling to catch this one. Well the wave immediately took me down hard to the bottom of the ocean and sent my board flying off to the shoreline. I held my breath until the current was done tossing me around like a rag doll then surfaced. I looked for my board which was of course long gone and here came another huge wave to knock me back down again. My back actually touched the sandy bottom which must have been 12-15 feet down or so. I was in trouble now because I hadn't any time to catch my breath before this happened.

I re-surfaced only to be thrown down by another wave. My legs and arms were completely drained by this time and I just knew that I was going to drown out here. I barely made it to the surface and remember saying to myself "This is going to hurt a little bit." Accepting my fate in that ocean. As I shut my eyes, waiting for the last wave which was seconds away, and as I had completely given up the struggle...a man sat on a surfboard right next to me. Calm as could be. He was sitting on his board in a black wetsuit looking at me. I remember noticing his face and short black hair. He slid me my board and said "Looks like you could use this mate!" I grasped it with my life and held on as the waves took me into shore a few seconds later. I washed up on the shore and sat on that beach in disbelief that there was no one on the water.

I am not a superstitious or very spiritual person and believed there must be an explanation to this. I scanned the ocean for this man who saved me, wanting to thank him very badly. I looked back at the parking lot. Still no vehicles whatsoever. No lifeguards, no people on the beach. The only footprints leading into the surf for 100 yards were mine.

After nearly an hour I walked back to my truck with a peaceful and humble feeling in my heart. I found out later that I was caught in a rip tide which are notorious in that area at that time of day and year. I owe my life to God and cannot thank Him enough for what He and His Guardian Angels do for us every single day.

Thank you for your time reading this and I hope it may help you to realize that these Angels are very very real and can take on human form.