BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Two jet skiers from West Virginia who fell into the water in Port Canaveral were rescued moments before nearly being hit by a cruise ship, Brevard County deputies said.
Skylar Penpasuglia, 19, and Allison Garrett, 20, were enjoying spring break and riding a personal watercraft in Port Canaveral Saturday.
One of the riders fell off the jet ski and when she tried to climb back on it, the jet ski flipped upside down, deputies said.
Watch footage of the rescue below:
BREVARD DEPUTY SAVES TWO JET SKIERS IN PORT CANAVERAL ...
Posted by Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Florida (Official) on Sunday, March 12, 2017
The women kept trying to get onto the jet ski, but the wind pushed them into the Port channel into the path of the Carnival Magic, deputies said.
Seaport Security Marine Deputy Taner Primmer, who was providing security escort for the cruise ship, saw what was happening.
Primmer steered his boat into the path of the ship and pulled the two women to safety.
The harbor master pilot of the cruise ship was able to veer the ship and avoid the women and deputy, investigators said.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said that he "couldn't be more proud of" of Deputy Tanner Primmer, a member of the agency's SeaPort Security Marine.
Ivey said Primmer placed his life in peril without hesitation to rescue the port visitors.
"The harbor master pilot not only maintained communication with Deputy Primmer," Ivey said. "But was able to safely veer the ship, which provided Deputy Primmer the extra seconds needed to save the young girls."
New video of rescue below:
Cox Media Group
