Social media users are trying to publicize the name of a surfer who was seen on video rescuing a distressed seabird in Florida earlier this week.
But identifying the good Samaritan on a surfboard in this video, which has been shared hundreds of times on Reels, is not “what happened on land.”
“He's a hero to a lot of people,” Brandon Terrones, who filmed the video while walking along the Cocoa Beach pier, told FOX 35 Orlando.
“At that moment I thought that poor bird might die,” Terrones told FOX35 Orlando..
Suddenly, a surfer gently scooped up the distressed bird and placed it on his surfboard before paddling it back to shore.
“[The bird] “It was either underwater or it got washed away by the storm,” Heather Pepe Dillon told FOX 35 Orlando.
The mysterious surfer gently scooped up the struggling bird and returned it to shore. (WOFL)
Pepe Dillon's organization, Wild Florida Rescue, responds to calls about endangered wildlife in Brevard County, Florida.
“If this man had gone ashore and called for rescue he would not have been rescued, so this is a great case and we're happy to see it,” Pepe Dillon added.
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Wild Florida Rescue was not called in this particular case, but Heather Pepe Dillon believes from the video that the bird may have been a sooty tern, a seabird that cannot survive if caught in rough seas.
“They were either underwater or washed away by the storm,” Pepe Dillon told FOX 35 Orlando. “It's getting colder and colder and they could get hypothermia.”
Social media users have labelled the mystery surfer a “hero” after paddling away to rescue the endangered bird. (WOFL)
The video continues to garner attention on social media. “I figured a few people on my Facebook list would see it,” Brandon Terrones told FOX 35 Orlando. “But it's gone viral.”
One of the most common comments was, “And then God created surfers.”
“Just taking a few seconds out of your day, like this surfer did, can have a ripple effect and make a lasting impact,” Terrones said.
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Fox News Digital has not yet been able to determine the identity of the mystery surfer seen in the video.
