JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A surfer was captured on camera assisting a woman in distress Friday morning at the Jacksonville Beach Pier.
According to eyewitness John Tesh, early Friday morning he witnessed a surfer throw his board on the beach and quickly run back into the water.
"As I watched where he was heading, I saw someone clinging to the newly installed fence around the pier construction site," Tesh said on Facebook. "The current and a big wave took (the woman) into the pier and she didn't see the fence."
Construction materials have been put into place around the structure as the city works to rebuild areas of the pier that sustained damage during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
"In the first picture, you can see the waves slamming her as she clings to the fencing," Tesh says."What you don’t see is the man underwater holding her up. He hoisted her on his shoulder and they walked down the fence line until she could swim."
Tesh says the man, who identified himself as Greg, later went back into the turbulent water and got her surfboard.
"He wouldn't give me his last name as he walked away, but it was beautiful to witness such an unselfish act," Tesh said.
