Deer struggling in ocean off Flagler Beach rescued by lifeguards: 'We save lives'

Florida lifeguards rescue deer from the ocean

Lifeguards train for most scenarios, but what happens when a young deer gets caught in the ocean current? You hit the water to try and help. Lifeguard Chase Hunter helped carry the wet and tired deer out of the ocean.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Lifeguards in Florida are trained to save lives — but they never expected to rescue a deer from the Atlantic Ocean.

What we know:

On Sunday, lifeguards at Flagler Beach rescued a deer struggling in the surf amid rough ocean conditions and heavy rainfall. 

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Senior lifeguard Chase Hunter paddled out to the deer with first-year lifeguard Leo Peters assisting in pushing the rescue board back to shore. Despite strong waves and nearby shark sightings, both the rescuers and the deer made it back safely.

What we don't know:

Officials have not determined how or why the deer ended up in the ocean. It remains unclear how far it had traveled.

'We have a job to do'

What they're saying:

Senior lifeguard Chase Hunter paddled out and pulled the flailing deer onto his rescue board. First-year lifeguard Leo Peters swam alongside them, helping steady the board and push both rescuer and animal safely back to shore.

"We have a job to do," Hunter said. "We save lives — whether it’s a human life or, in this case, a deer."

Peters, who had never seen — or heard — a deer in distress before, admitted the sounds caught him off guard. "They yell loud," he said. "When I got out there, I thought Chase was the one screaming."

Once ashore, the effort didn’t end. The exhausted lifeguards, joined by Flagler Beach Fire Rescue, worked together to get the deer across the busy A1A and back toward the nearby woods.

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"I was just holding on to the deer as hard as I could," Hunter recalled. "It’s fighting. It’s heavy. I’m tired. Everybody’s tired. But in my mind, I was telling myself, we’re getting this deer in one way or the other."

Flagler Beach Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Cox said in his 15 years on the job, he had never heard of anything like it.

"We’re extremely proud of them—not only for their concern for public safety, but for the environment as well," Cox said.

Wildlife officials said that since the deer was able to walk, it was safe to release it back into the wild—where, lifeguards hope, it stays on land.