A Cuban identified as Carlos Fong rescued a father, his son, and his minor nephew who were being swept away by a strong sea current in the Skyway Beach area of St. Petersburg, Florida, during an operation that he documented in real-time from his fishing boat and published on his TikTok account.
The three videos that Fong uploaded to the platform on July 21 show, in less than two minutes, the rescuer's desperation as he struggles against such a strong current that the engine of his boat could barely make any progress. In the footage, his anguish is audible as he searches for one of the children: "I don't see the other child. Family, I don't see the other child. Ah, I see him now, I see him now. He's reaching the shore because he has a float."
In the second clip, Fong manages to get the kids out of the water while warning his followers: "There's one missing, and we’re not making any progress. Look at the current, folks, and there’s a girl missing. There’s a strong current here that could drown her if I don’t bring her back."
The third video, now with the three victims safe, reveals a detail that underscores the gravity of the situation: the father was pushing the two minors because he no longer had the strength to stay afloat on his own. "In other words, he was pushing them because he couldn’t go on," Fong explained.
Upon confirming that everyone survived, the Cuban fisherman concluded with a blend of relief and humor: "Look at today’s catch; we fished for people." Before saying goodbye, he issued a direct warning: "Family, this shows you how dangerous it is to get caught in the current."
The three videos garnered over 150,000 combined views on TikTok, with the second clip surpassing 57,100 views and the third achieving the highest level of relative engagement.
Days after the dramatic incident, Fong shared a post on social media from the rescued man, in which he expressed gratitude to the Cuban for saving his life and that of the children, revealing that one of them is his 11-year-old son and the other, his 11-year-old nephew. "God exists, and today He sent us Carlos Fong to save us all. Thank you, God, and thank you, Carlos Fong," he stated.
The rescue of Fong adds to a series of heroic acts performed by Cubans at sea in recent years. In October 2025, the doctor Yaismel Corrada Valdés jumped into the sea in Pinar del Río to assist a fisherman attacked by a shark.
In June 2023, Ariel Romero Velázquez passed away in Miami Beach while attempting to save an 11-year-old girl and her father. At the end of 2020, lifeguard Darián Oscar Leonard Pino drowned in Cayo Coco, Ciego de Ávila, after rescuing four Russian tourists swept away by the current.
Unlike those cases, the rescue of Carlos Fong had a completely successful outcome: all three victims survived. "Thank God we were able to save her, thanks, thanks to that. Blessings to the family," said the fisherman at the conclusion of the operation.
Filed under: