VIDEO: Human Chain Saves Swimmers From Rough Florida Surf

People rallied together to save multiple people out of rough waters in Florida, according to WMBB. How did they do it? By reportedly forming a human chain.

The incident went down last Wednesday (April 14) at Emerald Isle Resort near the Gulf of Mexico. A little girl cried out for help in the Gulf waters, prompting a woman to swim out and successfully save the girl, reporters said. Another woman, however, joined the rescue effort and ended up getting stuck in the Gulf, WMBB wrote.

That's when Ryan Stelmachers and two people sprung into action. Stelmachers told reporters he used his raft to save the woman, the but the strong currents made it difficult to swim back. “The current kept pulling us out, pulling us out, pulling us out, and every time we take one step forward, it would take us back three steps,” he said.

The human chain then came to the rescue, pulling people to safety amid troublesome tides. Ryan Stelmachers said without the human chain, he thinks they wouldn't have made it to shore.

“I’ve swam in a lot of oceans and done a lot of things and I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Stelmachers told reporters, calling the water conditions the worst he's ever seen. “It’s real. Mother nature is no joke.”

WMBB said Single Red flags were flying at the beach that day, upgrading to Double Red later on. Despite Wednesday's rescue being successful, beach safety officials discourage human chains because they can be dangerous and lead to more people getting swept out into the waters.

Photo: Getty Images